


Emerald | D.M & T.N

by didipapillo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Dark Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:13:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 25
Words: 91,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29340369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/didipapillo/pseuds/didipapillo
Summary: In a world without magic, with no wizards or witches, magical creatures, spells or potions... Hogwarts is still all about teaching students. Just not in the way we are used to.Albus Dumbledore trains his students to eventually turn them into professional assassins. Of course, the Emerald Trio had be the top of their class.The story goes around Ella Black. When her father, Sirius Black got put into prison she went after Cornelius Fudge. That evening just didn't go as how she had planned it to. With a turn of events she ended up on the back of a motorcycle, following a stranger, to 'merlin' knows where.--> Ella Black and Draco Malfoy are not family in this story!
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Kudos: 4





	1. Catching a bullet

**Author's Note:**

> !! PLEASE READ !!
> 
> Hello friends!
> 
> I've decided to write a story about the Emerald trio but this time in the MODERN world. I was already writing this in word because I thought it was a nice idea for a fanfic, but then I thought why shouldn't I also put this online? So, I'm doing that now.
> 
> I also wanted to point out there that I'm NOT a writer. I do write a lot, but I never considered my work worth sharing before.
> 
> Besides that, English isn't my first language. If there are grammar mistakes or just a wrong use of words please enlighten me so I could change it and evolve myself through out the story.
> 
> Content warning: This story is a DARK Assasin AU. This fanfic is different because in this story there is NO magic and NO wizarding world. The characters live in the normal modern world. There are moments of non-con, violence, sexual scenes as sexual assault and rape, murder, drug and alcohol use, suicide and character death.
> 
> I will put a trigger warning before a scene that contains rape or suicide or self-harm, so that you'll be able to skip that scene. The other features above will not be having a trigger warning due to spoilers.
> 
> This is a slow story, so keep in mind that also the content will get darker through out.
> 
> Keep in mind that this story plays in a different reality, so the characters you might know are not the same as in the movies/books. That means that also the canons differ from what we believe.
> 
> I do want to put a 18+ WARNING here, because the content might be triggering. So, please please if you get triggered easy by the features mentioned above, do not read this story!
> 
> The characters in this story are mostly based on headcanon, they are in NO way simular to the movies/books. Please keep that in mind.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I changed a few family trees to avoid incest!! The family trees will be explained later in the story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I had yet no idea how to make the font crooked, so that might be a little harder to read. I will change this when I find out, is anyone knows please comment!!

Ella Black was low under the surface as she watched multiple people leave the building. She was outside on the parking lot waiting for everyone to go home and leave their workspace empty. She focused her eyes on the entry door and watched it open and close several times before there was a minute-long silence. As it opened again, Cornelius Fudge walked out.

Ella looked up to see the name board right above the entry door. Ministry of London, she read. She hated that building. They were known to fight for justice, but they were also the one's to frame an innocent man just because it's easy. Ella moved herself a bit to the left to get a clear sight of Cornelius.

He had just stepped in his car and looked at his own face in the mirror above his steering wheel. What a clown.

For a second Ella hesitated to move. She had only seen people do this in movies, she never considered herself doing it. But her mind was tight as she watched Cornelius drive off the parking lot. She couldn't live with herself if she didn't take the opportunity to kill the one man that made her life miserable.

Ella looked down at her hand where she was holding a small remote control. In the middle, between multiple colorful other buttons, was a big red one. ''What a cliché.'' She whispered to herself.

She pressed her thumb on the red button and looked up to see if anything happened to the car.

Nothing.

No bang, no blow up as she expected. ''Damn it, Dean.''

Ella put both her hands against her temples and pressed her fingers in her skin. She rotated her fingers in small circles to let her think. She saw the car drive off the parking lot and she knew she had to be quick if she didn't want to lose this opportunity.

She pushed her own body up and started to run to her own car. She just turned 18 so she could drive by herself. The car used to be her father's.

When she sat inside her car, she didn't hesitate and drove far over the speed limit to keep up with Cornelius. She knew he was going home, and she knew that every week on Thursday he would be alone until 9:17 P.M. She quickly moved her eyes over the radio and watched the clock set from 18:25 to 18:26.

She had two and a half hours to succeed.

~

After Ella had arrived at his home, she watched him unlock the door and let himself in. His house was big, it looked like a mini White house. In front of the entrance were huge plants which reflected on his well financial state. She let her eyes glide over the garden in front of the home, seeing no ordinary plants.

Everything was well cut and taken good care off. He was mostly one to not do the work himself. She was pretty sure he had hired someone to take care of the garden.

A light went on in one of the rooms on the first floor which made Ella's eyes go up. Her pupils grew bigger as her dark brown colored eyes were almost not visible anymore. This was her chance. She jumped away from her hiding spot and walked around the house. On the other side of the house was a window open, it was their kitchen window.

Ella had been here several times to observe. Their window would always be open. The window leaded to their kitchen but that was all she knew. She didn't know where to go from there.

She grabbed a small pocketknife from out of her sock and lifted it next to her waist. She walked to the window but before she opened it further, she looked around if she saw anyone.

A huge clock on her right caught her attention.

19:02 PM.

She had about 2 hours to kill a man and wipe out everything that could link the murder back to her.

When the coast was clear she stepped through the low window and jumped on the cold kitchen floor. She walked to the first door she saw and immediately found her way into the hall. Beside the wall was the stairs to lead to the first floor.

Where Cornelius went.

Ella walked up the stairs, trying the hardest not to make any noise. She walked to the side of the wall; the noise would be less loud she had learned. Her fingers moved across the wall to steady herself.

When she was up the first floor, she didn't see Cornelius anywhere. Her heart was in her throat, he could walk out any room, any second. She could walk in a room where he would be standing. She wasn't aware of his whereabouts.

Ella took in one huge breath and opened the first door on her right. The pocketknife was high above her breasts, steady in her hands for any sudden surprises.

The room was empty, and a disappointed but also relieved sigh escaped her mouth. She turned her head to the left as she closed the door and she saw a shadow coming from three rooms away from hers. She waited in the door opening to see the shadow grow smaller.

He was walking further into the room.

She took her chance, left the room she was in, walked as silently as possible through the hall and turned her head around the corner of the door. She saw Cornelius standing in front of his closet. He took out a silk pajama set and put it on the bed beside him. Ella stared in rage at the man. She wanted him to see her as he turned around, to be afraid before she would run up to him and push the knife in his throat.

She saw him unbutton his trousers and she couldn't bare the look of his naked bum.

''Please, don't stop on my watch.'' Her words were as bracing as a slap in the face. Cornelius turned around in shock and closed his zipper again. ''What the bloody hell are you doing in my home?'' he spit out.

He was scared. His eyes rolled down to the knife she was holding. He looked up abruptly and searched around for anything to harm her back with. ''Do you remember me?'' Ella asked. She knew talking was one of the worst things a murderer could do. But she couldn't help herself. She was about to take this man's life and she wanted him to know why she was going to do that. She wanted him to regret what he did, feel the guilt and the pain of the life he had broken before she took his.

''Ella Black. Of course, I remember you, you've been in court a lot last year.'' Cornelius said, trying to figure out if this was the right answer or not.

Ella walked closer to him and let the knife slide over the wall on her right. ''For the entire year I had been question my actions when I saw your face. You were just a girl.'' Cornelius sugarcoated the conversation.

''You think?'' Ella answered him. Not knowing why, the words just rolled out her mouth.

''I know how hard that year must've been on you. But you have come to an age to realize what your father had done. You don't want to go that way, Ella. You're not like your family.''

''He was innocent.''

''Was he really? All I see at the moment is his only daughter with a knife in her hands, standing in front of me.''

Ella tilted her head slowly to her right to take in the picture of her knife still pushing against the wall. She slowly let her arm down and moved her eyes back to the man.

''I can understand that growing up in such a violent family may affected you to the point where you came to think that harming me is ok. But I can assure you that putting that knife down is the best way to handle this.'' Cornelius raised his hand towards Ella. Opening his palm to her.

Ella moved her eyes around the room, letting in all the objects that were visible to her. Close to Cornelius were several objects that he could easily use against her. The burning candles on his right, the shiny shoes on the ground beside him, the clock right beside his head...

The clock.

19:34 PM.

Cornelius stepped closer to her with his hand still raised. Not being intimidated by her at all anymore. She had been hesitating too much, she had let time pass without realizing. ''Give me the knife.'' He said with a lower sound to his voice than before.

He locked his eyes with her as she took in deep breaths. Her body wasn't able to jump towards him. She was caught off card as she was fighting herself to continue. She had it all planned out, for a year she had been following him. She knew where he lived and what time he got off work.

She knew the days his wife wasn't at home. On Thursdays she would work longer hours and he would be alone for a few. She figured out that their kitchen window would've been open every day. That was her way into the house. She even let Dean design a bomb to blow up his car with, making that their plan A.

Before she realized, Cornelius had grabbed her wrist and twisted it which made her loose grip on the knife. With loud clatter, the knife bounced on the ground. He stepped on top of it and his face expression turned aggressive.

''Stupid girl, just like your father.'' He spit in her face.

Her face was pulled close to his. Spit dripped down her eyelashes onto her cheek. She felt the warm salvia harden on her skin as his pupils grew bigger. ''You will be with your father in prison.''

Cornelius turned her around and pushed her against the wall. He had his arm against the back of her head, as he grabbed his phone to dial the police office.

She listened to him as he told them about what happened. Cornelius started laughing against his phone. ''Exactly, like father like daughter. – Really? – I'll bring her outside then.''

He forced her off the wall and pushed her through the door. ''Police are already here, what a luck you have.'' He stroked her hair behind her ear and pushed her further through the hall.

~

Cornelius had one hand in her hair as the other pushed her forward against her shoulder. He pulled the hair from her skull as she tried to get loose. ''Your father would be pleased to see his precious little girl in prison with him.'' He bit at her. His words cut as knifes through her ears. She had to hesitate. She had to let her card down.

Her fighting against his grip slowly stopped as she ran out of energy. There was no use, he had her and she would go to prison. She had disappointed not only herself, but her father as well.

''Before I put a- ''

The grip on her shoulder and hair was loosened and she felt a breeze behind her. A loud smash filled her ears as Cornelius' severe body fell on the ground. Ella slowly turned around to look at his lifeless body behind her. Around his head was an already big pool of blood which squirted out of a little hole in his forehead.

She didn't dare to move. Cornelius just got shot as his face was just an inch beside hers. There must've been a professional shooter among them – or the police really fucked up.

As movement caught her notice in front of her, she moved her face back to her previous direction. A male dressed in a black sweater and black baggy jeans ran up to her. His black boots tapped violently on the mud. He came closer and closer to her, to the point where his black gloves were now touching her skin. He had tightened his hand around her wrist and pulled her along with him.

Still out of energy, Ella stumbled behind him. He was quick to notice, and his entire arm was now around her. His face was close to hers and she just now caught up on his features. His brows where darker than his hair and bushy- but not in an unprovided way. His brown hair covered half of his forehead and on his left cheekbone he had a birth mark. His light blue eyes had caught her staring and he opened his mouth to talk to her.

''It's either you run with me, or I leave you here for the police to find.'' His voice was low and gravely.

Ella nodded and he pulled his arm back from her shoulders. Without a second look he turned around and ran further away from her. She ran after him, ignoring all the symptoms of a burn out.

After they reached a little motorcycle, she noticed he wasn't alone. There was another person waiting for them. On his back he held a sniper and before they could breathe out whatever miles they had just ran, he already drove off. She didn't get a single glanse of his appearance, but she was too tired to care.

Ella got pushed a helmet in her hands. ''Put this on.''

She obeyed and before she could close the helmet, he was already starting the motorcycle. ''Come on, then.'' He said loudly, not even trying to sound civil. Before Ella could think about all the reasons why she shouldn't jump on that motorcycle, her legs had already sprinted towards his direction.

With a thud she sat herself steady behind him. He drove off fast and out of reflex she slammed her arms around his waist. A small giggle escaped his mouth as he continued to drive off.


	2. That explains Dudley

The door opened and Albus Dumbledore raised his head up. He moved his right hand on the paper he was reading before interrupted. ''Harry, come in.'' He spoke to the boy in the door opening. Dumbledore moved his left hand up and pointed at the chair in front of him. ''Sit.''

Harry moved his eyes through the room until they caught notice of the small chair on the other side of the desk Dumbledore was sitting at. ''Thank you, professor. But I'd rather stand.'' Harry had his hands in front of his body as he walked further into the room.

''That's alright. I expect your sudden visit means that you're in the need of something, am I correct?'' Dumbledore asked the boy. Harry nodded. ''It came to my attention that you've send Theodore on a mission to bring in Ella Black.''

Dumbledore folded his hands as he waited for Harry to tell him the plot. ''Why didn't you send me?'' Harry then asked. ''For the same reason that you're in my office now, Harry.''

Dumbledore pushed himself up and walked away from his desk. He let his hand lean on the corner of his desk as he looked at Harry. ''You are too involved with the Black family. Your knowledge of them would affect your intentions with the girl.''

''Sir, I'm well trained to keep my emotions at bay. I would never let my emotions cloud my judgement.''

''I don't underestimate your training, Harry.''

''I think you do, sir. Why else would you send Theodore Nott? He is the worst shooter of our class.''

A cold fist scratched against Harry's cheek. It wouldn't hurt if Dumbledore's ring wasn't as sharp as it was. The cold material had made a small cut outside of Harry's lip. A small drop of blood exited the wound and Harry wiped off the warm liquid. He tilted his head to the side to face Dumbledore. ''Am I clear, Harry?''

Harry nodded and answered: ''Very.'' He turned around to walk back to the door he entered from. Before he could lay his hand on the door handle, the door was swept open, almost causing Harry to bump right into it. Harry focused his eyes on the person behind the other side of the door, Theodore Nott.

''What an excellent surprise. Just the person we were talking about.'' Dumbledore spoke to him. Harry bit his teeth as Theodore forced himself through the small door opening. ''As requested,'' He reached his arm back into the door opening and pulled Ella Black through.

Harry's eyes locked immediately on hers. An overwhelming feeling of hatred boiled through his veins. He formed his hands in fists as he watched her step into the room. ''Ella Black. Welcome to Hogwarts.'' Dumbledore spoke to her with an accent that made every word he uttered seem charged with importance and authority.

Ella looked back at Harry, noticing how he just barely held his curse words in. She caught up on the fresh cut on the side of his lip. When he realized what she was staring at, he quickly wiped the cut and left the room.

''Don't mind my student, Ella. He was upset with me. There is nothing for you to be concerned about.'' Albus Dumbledore spoke. His voice made it clear it was anything but. She let her eyes wander across the room. There was a bookshelf filled with see lucent vials. Every single one of them was labeled with names. Dumbledore caught her staring and he was quick to answer her question before she even asked that herself.

''Memories.'' He walked to the bookshelf and grabbed one of the vials. ''Every vial contains a poison that one has tried to use against me. I keep them in vials with each name of the person on top as a reminder that nobody can be trusted.'' Dumbledore smiled and it was the most horrific smile she had ever seen.

''But of course, within these walls there is nothing for you to worry about.''

Dumbledore pointed his eyes at Theodore now, who was still close to the wall with his hands behind his back. ''You can wait in the hall. Thank you for your service.'' Theodore nodded and walked out of the room. He closed the door behind him, and the room got filled with anything but joy.

''I should have questions, but I can't think of one.'' It took Ella a while before she could find her voice. ''They will come to you eventually. I can understand the shock you must be in. This nice boy Dean Thomas had filled me in on a few events. I presume, he is your boyfriend?''

''No. We're just friends.''

''Excuse me.'' Dumbledore finally put the vial back in the shelf. ''I shouldn't have interpreted anything.'' Ella let out something like a sigh. ''Why did you ask about me?'' The question could've been stated better she thought but her words where already blathered out.

''Your father is an old friend of mine. He in fact, has walked these very halls himself. It was a bit of a shock to hear that he is now in prison for the murder of fellow students from his time. He never really understood the meaning of this school. He always spread around that he was nothing like his family and that he wanted to prove that out to the world.'' Dumbledore turned to Ella. ''But this betrayal did none of us see coming.''

''He didn't do anything.'' Ella spit out.

''I see.'' Dumbledore crossed his arms behind his back and walked closer to her. ''You do know the history of your family, don't you?''

''I do. My aunt is locked in prison for torture on some people, my uncle died helping some mass murderer and I think most of my family was in a similar position. But my father was never like them.''

Dumbledore seemed about to speak, but the thread eluded him. ''He told you to get me, didn't he?'' Ella asked. ''He did, indeed.'' Ella let her eyes down to the desk. Thoughts flew through her mind. He knew that they were going to arrest him. Why else would he ask this man to get her? Did he really kill those 3 people? Was she wrong about her father all along? The words Cornelius Fudge had spoken to her that evening also found a place back in her mind.

''All I see at the moment is his only daughter with a knife in her hands, standing in front of me.''

If he was really a murdered, she got his gene too because she wanted to kill Cornelius. And if he was still alive and she got another chance, she was sure that she would try it again.

''What am I expected from?'' Ella's voice was a bit more absent than it was before.

~

The next day Ella Black dragged her body through one of the many corridors of Hogwarts. Her hands were wrapped around several books she wasn't sure she had ever even opened. Her dark brown, wavy hair was up in a high ponytail that still hung over her shoulders. She looked a lot like her father when he was younger. Most of his strong features were visible in her.

Ella was in her thoughts as she walked into the classroom. Not noticing anyone around her, she had put herself down on a seat in front of the class and laid down her books. She looked to her side where a blonde-haired girl had just sat herself down. She had puzzled her hand exactly under her chin and leaned onto it. ''Watch out, Daphne. Might lose your head if you move your arm.'' Another boy had entered the classroom and giggled his way along her seat.

''Don't try to be funny now, Zabini.'' Daphne Greengrass spit back at him. Unbothered he moved his body onto the seat three rows before hers. He moved his face into a girl's neck as he whispered to her.

As Ella was staring at them, the seat beside her got filled. She turned her head to face Theodore Nott. ''I could never understand how he can be so annoying in the morning.'' Theodore said to her.

''Who are they?'' Ella asked him as her eyes were still focused on the couple. ''Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. You will meet them eventually.'' Theodore had brought her to her room that night after her conversation with Dumbledore. She had learned a few things about the school, but everything was still new to her. Theodore had also told her a lot about its students and teachers. In the few minutes they had spent before she finally closed a door in his face to be alone, he really warmed up to her.

He might've been that distant because of the situation they were in. Something she heard; she would also learn here.

Ella turned to face him and noticed a few bruises coming out from under his collar. ''Rough night, huh?'' She asked him, implying on the bruises. ''Please, it's never too rough for me.'' He laughed and smashed his books on the table in front of him.

''It looks painful.'' Ella nibbled at a fingernail. She was a bit surprised by how not caring he seemed to be about it. As if it was the most normal thing in the world for him.

Ella pushed her chin over her shoulder as she watched the classroom fill with students. She followed the boy she had seen the day before walking in with another girl on his side. A girl with brown hair that danced upon her shoulders as she sat herself down next to him.

Harry pushed his glasses up his nose before turning around to take a look at Ella. She then nervously put her head back to Theodore.

''That was awkward.'' He spoke in horse whisper. Ella rolled her eyes as she looked around if anyone heard him. ''Why does he look at me like that?'' ''Your father sort of... Killed his parents.'' Theodore spit out. Ella's eyes grew bigger as she turned back to face him. But this time, Harry wasn't looking at her anymore. ''That's- Harry Potter?'' She asked.

''In the flesh.'' He answered her. ''But he wouldn't harm you within these walls, just ignore the kid.'' Ella turned her head back and nodded.

The classroom door got thrown shut with much force. A long man walked through the room as his dark black hair flew behind him. ''If I hear any other person open their mouth, they will see a month's long detention.'' Ella just now realized that the entire classroom had filled itself.

The man stopped walking at the head of the class and turned around to face all of the students. ''Am I clear?''

Blaise raised his hand and with a single movement, the teacher looked him dead in the eye. ''Sir, you said: 'If I hear a mouth open but opening your mouth doesn't make any sound.'' Blaise said.

Before responding, the teacher looked a bit around if anyone was taking notice to him or Blaise. He then walked over to the desk Blaise was sitting at, waited a few seconds, grabbed his jaw and pulled it down very quick. A short snap sounded through the silenced classroom and Blaise breathed out heavenly and in pain.

''That's one click.'' The teacher said.

He pushed the jaw back in place and another snap filled the room.

''And that's the other click. As you have now clearly heard yourself, Mr. Zabini. A mouth can surely make noise just by opening.''

The man removed his hands from Blaise's jaw and walked back to his original place in the room. Ella faced the man in admiration. The man teaching them was the infamous Severus Snape. Theo had told her all about him, he was just as obsessed with the man as Ella just now had become. He was known for poisoning multiple people to death and he always seemed to get away with it. It was just perfect that he was now a teacher in potions class.

''Does anyone else have something on their mind that they'd like to share with the rest of the class?'' Snape asked around.

Ella looked around the class with just her eyes. She knew this wasn't an invitation to actually ask anything. He wanted to see who was brave or stupid enough to answer so he could teach them how to be silent when needed to.

Ella was pretty sure that hitting children was the highlight of his day.

''No one?'' he paused. ''That's unfortunate.''

The rest of the lesson was – something. He taught them a specific potion which included snake poison. Snape was very aware of the dangers of his potions, but he didn't care. He threw around different mixtures of pure death like it was nothing serious.

After the class had ended, everyone walked out. Without giving Theodore a heads up, Ella had followed Harry out of the classroom. Not giving another glance at her yet to meet classmates, she walked behind him through the corridors.

Theodore had described him as the chosen one. His family is what really got him here. Apart from what Theodore had told her, she already knows a bit. Harry was the son of Lily and James Potter. They were two of the three people that her father had killed. She had heard his name a few times in court, but he never showed up. She had been trying to send him cards, but they always returned.

Now that she knows that all that time he was here, he probably never got any of them.

Theodore had told her about his life a bit more, Harry had been living with his uncle and aunt in Little Whinging for the last few years. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were horrible people. They smoked crack on the daily and drank any kind of alcohol they could find. Their son, Dudley Dursley was born with an addiction to drugs.

Petunia had been smoking joints her entire pregnancy and that was the consequence she never much cared about. As Harry was a pretty average kid with two dead parents, they didn't like him. Harry was hit and kicked daily as he also had to cook and clean for them.

Harry kept the entire place in check and everyone semi healthy as Petunia dressed herself up as a whore in her own home. She would've spent three hours in putting on make-up and styling her hair.

After Vernon was done with work, they would have a shag for a whole hour before yelling at Harry that dinner must've been ready twenty minutes ago.

Two years ago, Harry had killed his entire family. The police had found his home splattered with blood on the walls, and limbs thrown everywhere. He had killed them and ran away just to become a hero. He then got placed in Hogwarts where he is as every other student here, protected against the police.

Theodore made it very clear that even though he seems like a victim, Harry was no ordinary student. He was cruel and unpredictable. But that didn't make Ella stop following him after the very first time she saw him again.

She saw him walk around the corner and silently she tried to follow him. She had just turned her face across the corner when a hand grabbed her throat. She got pushed against the wall and gasped as she looked in Harry's green eyes.

''Why are you following me?'' He asked her brutal. ''I don't know.'' Ella flattered out rapidly as he tightened his hand around her throat. ''Why are you following me?!''

''I don't know!'' Again, too rapid.

He let go of her throat and she started coughing as both her hands flew up to her throat. Harry just stood there in front of her, watching her as a helpless child. ''I wrote you.'' Ella then said. ''Excuse me?''

''I wrote you every week since court started.'' She let her hands fall down and looked up at him. She straightened her back and he took a few steps away from her to give her more space to talk.

''That doesn't mean anything to me.'' But all she heard was meaningless gibberish. ''I noticed the way you looked at me when I came in Dumbledore's office yesterday. You seemed, angry.''

''What you saw was my reaction to betrayal. It was my mission and Theodore took it. That's all it was. It had nothing to do with you.'' He moved his eyes away from Ella's and he started to scratch his forehead. ''If that is true then-'' ''It is true!'' he willed the anger out of his voice. ''I wanted to say that if it's true then I'm sorry for bothering you.''

Ella stepped away from him and turned back around the corner. She breathed heavenly as she had just had the weirdest conversation ever. She tilted her head up to see Theodore face her in disappointment. She crossed her arms and walked closer to him without looking him directly in his eyes.

''What you just did.'' He started. ''That has to stop. It's your weakness. Don't show that here.''

He moved his head a bit as direction for her to follow him to their next class. ''Theo?'' Ella asked. He turned his head to face her. ''I'm not a kid you don't have to babysit me.''

''Actually, I do.'' Theodore stepped closer and pinched her chin between his thumb and index finger. ''If you think that I would be here with you rather than being with my friends, you're wrong. Dumbledore put me on a mission, and this is still a part of it. I'll be at your side until you're able to completely blend in yourself.'' He let go of her chin and stepped a bit backwards. He raised his hands to the side and his sweater moved up to show just a bit of his bare skin.

''All you need to do to survive is listen to me.''

He turned around with his arms still raised and started walking. He let his arms fall down slowly and put his left one in his pocket. Ella couldn't help but form a little smile before she followed him.


	3. He's filthy rich

"Good morning class." Was the trigger for every student to be quiet and turn their heads to the door. Ella, who was hiding herself in the corner also turned her head to face a new teacher.

The woman had short spiked hair with a greyish color to it. Her head was a bit too small for her body and her eyes were bright yellow which didn't seem human.

She walked in with a fast pace on her heels as if she had other places to be. It gave Ella quite the anxiety as if she had to be rushed as well. The other students were clearly not as bothered by it as she was.

They were placed in a different room than the day before. The entire day they have sat in average classrooms with a desk in front of every chair. Today was different. The room was bigger and there were no chairs or desks to find.

The students were all dressed comfortable, so Ella also wore a simple white tee with grey joggers underneath. Ella scanned the room and her eyes were laid on Pansy immediately. It wasn't as a shock to her that she wore a black crop top with black leggings which showed all her rounding's just perfectly.

The woman's eyes were now focused on Ella. "Most students already know, but I'm Madam Hooch. I'll be teaching you how to be ready for combat." She snatched up a knife from her pocket and let it roll along her fingers. "Can you work a knife, miss Black?"

Every eye was focused on Ella as she nervously looked around. The flashback of her with Cornelius flooded her mind and the embarrassment grew because of the actions with the pocketknife she held that night. She was hoping that her face wouldn't turn as red as she felt it would.

"No."

"Don't worry. That's what I'm here for." Madame Hooch let the knife whirl through her fingers and snapped it away with her other hand. She reached out her arm and held her palm open, with the knife laying perfectly still in it. Ella was supposed to take it from her. Ella stepped forward and took the knife between her fingers. "The trick is to not cut yourself." Blaise shouted from the other side of the room.

For Ella it felt as is he was miles away. His words were like a slap in the face. They were meant to be funny, but it wasn't funny to her. She was put to shame which helped her anxiety to grow more and more.

"Thank you, Zabini. For your unnecessary input."

"The pleasure is mine, miss."

A few students on Blaise's side chuckled but quickly stopped as Madam Hooch pointed her eyes on them as a warning. When they were returned to Ella, she started wiggling the knife nervously.

She held the blade between her index finger and middle finger as her thumb held it in place by clamping itself on the heft. She pushed her thumb forward over her middle finger and as she pulled the blade down between her middle finger and ring finger, it fell on the ground.

Filled with embarrassment, she saw the knife bounce on the ground as the loud noise of metal scattered through the room. Madame Hooch watched her bow down to grab it off the ground but didn't respond. She turned away from her and spread her sight across the other side of the room.

"I want everyone to team up. You know the drill." Her voice was detached and clinical.

Ella straightened her shirt as she let her eyes wander across the room. She noticed Harry standing by himself. She was ready to walk up to him but before she could take a second step, Theodore was blocking her path.

She watched Harry disappear behind his body just to reappear on the other side with the same girl he sat next to in Potions class. "Don't tell me you actually wanted to spar with Potter." As much as he tried not to show it, Ella could clearly hear an inch of disappointment hidden in his voice.

"Why can't I?"

"You will only embarrass yourself. At least I will take it easy on you."

"I can handle myself."

Ella walked past him but before she reached his shoulder she was grabbed by her arm, pulled back to face him again and with her left arm pushed behind her back.

She groaned in pain as he pushed her elbow further up between her shoulder blades. "Can you?" A small smirk formed from his lips. His face was just a few inches away from hers. She tried her hardest to remain eye contact as he kept pushing her arm up, waiting for her to double tap on his arm.

"You forgot something." She whispered. For some reason the pain was affecting her breathing and she was struggling with finding enough oxygen. Theodore's eyes flickered as he didn't realize what she meant just yet. She pushed her free arm up his shoulder and twisted it the other way around. Off guard, he let go of her arm and now that she had fully access to both her limbs, she pulled his upper arm behind his back and pushed his elbow up. As quick as she could she regrabbed his elbow with her left hand and put him in a headlock. She steadied herself by holding onto his other shoulder with her left hand.

"My arm was still free." She whispered in his ear.

A soft chuckle escaped his mouth. "I see." Before he fully spoke his words, he had thrown her over his shoulder and Ella landed on the hard ground. She groaned in pain as her entire body got smacked. Theodore had his hand pushed near her throat, making it impossible for her to stand up.

"You underestimate me, darling."

"I'll remember that." Ella made a muffled squeak. Theodore let go of her and reached his hand out to help her stand. Gratefully she took his hand and steadied herself back on her feet.

"What the hell! You could've killed me!" Ella turned around and saw Daphne screaming. She was looking at the wall behind her where a knife was perfectly thrown in. A pale boy whom was just a few inches taller than her walked past Daphne and pulled the knife back out of the wall.

"If I had just stepped an inch to the right, I was dead. You know that right?" She continued yelling at him, but it seemed that he wasn't as interested. "Hello?! You can at least apologize."

"I never miss." Was all he replied. He had his face turned to her and half of it was now visible to Ella. His jaw was sharp and clean, his grey eyes were dull and filled with no emotion. His platinum blonde hair covered most of his face as there was just a bare minimum of effort put into it. He overall seemed a mess, but he still got her attention.

"Who is he?" Ella asked Theodore. "That's Draco Malfoy. His family invested a lot in this school. They almost own the place. He's also the best aimer of this entire school."

Draco threw the knife effortlessly up, rotated it in the air and caught it back as he walked away from the wall. He lifted his head up and he now noticed Ella staring at him. Their eyes were locked for half a minute before she felt something kick against her heels.

With a bang she laid back on the ground. She breathed heavenly as Theodore walked around her and bowed down with his hand in front of her face. "You let your card down."

Without hesitation, Ella kicked his knee in and pulled his hand. After letting out a soft squeal, he fell on top of her. He quickly landed on both his hands and just barely pushed himself above her body. There was just an inch between their chests and his arms landed beside her face.

"What card?" Ella responded playfully.

They both started laughing and Theodore put his knee down beside her thigh. He pushed himself up and helped Ella stand. "I must admit, you're not the worst." As he spoke, he scratched his fingernail behind his ear. "I think you accidentally gave me a compliment." Ella said.

"There's nothing accidental about that one, Black."

~

Later that day Ella had found her way into the library. She had sat herself down in the corner with a couple of books and papers. Her phone was standing against the books and Dean was filling her entire screen.

"Please tell me that it was stupid to tell him that." Ella spoke to him. "It was stupid to tell him that."

"Thank you."

"But," Dean started. "I don't see the problem. Those cards were sweet and caring. I read all of them, remember?"

"I didn't know he was a psychopath when I wrote that. Are you forgetting that he killed his entire family? By himself?! There were limbs everywhere, Dean!" The last sentence was whispered.

"I got that, but I still don't see the problem. Isn't your entire school filled with psychopaths?'' Dean chuckled. Ella rolled her eyes and folded the paper in front of her. "It's different.''

"It's not. You're just judging him because you don't want to feel bad for him.''

"I'm not judging him. I'm just saying that he isn't the person that I thought he was.''

"So, you're judging him. It shouldn't matter if he killed anyone or not. Those letters you wrote were to make sure he was ok. You don't know what went on in that house after he was put there." Ella watched Dean relocate his phone. She sighed and pushed her face in her hands. "I feel stupid, Dean. I should've kept my mouth shut."

Another sigh came from the other side of the video chat. "You're overthinking this. Besides, shouldn't you be focusing on your classes?"

"You could've told me, you know."

"You were on some murder mission. I didn't exactly think about calling you as you were dragging a body down the river."

"Theo shot him. I got caught."

"So, instead of being mad at me for giving out information to Dumbledore who – may I add was a friend of your father – you could've thanked me for saving you a long life in prison."

Ella stared at Dean as he had settled himself down behind his desk. "Are you working on the bomb?" She asked as she noticed his hands move behind the camera. "Yes. I'm still not sure what caused the bug. But I will figure it out."

Ella smiled at him. Dean was her best friend for years. He lived next to them for their entire childhood until a few years back when he moved to the other side of the city. His parents weren't quite pleased with the Black's family image.

Ella grabbed another paper and she let her eyes wander across the words. The first paper she read – which was now folded and put away – was about Harry. The one in front of her now was about her father.

MASS MURDERER ON THE RUN

October 31st, 2019, Godcric's Hollow

Lilly Potter and James Potter were found dead in their own home this evening. People say that none other then their high school best friend was the one to have murdered them.

James Potter was found dead on the ground floor and stabbed multiple times in the back.

Lilly Potter was found dead on the first floor near an empty crib, also stabbed multiple times in the chest, arms and legs.

9 people had witnessed Sirius Black leaving their home and 3 people had confirmed seeing him killing yet another person in open sight. Peter Pettigrew was found dead near Godric's Hollow, with his throat sliced open.

Sirius Black is until not yet charged.

—

Ella put away the paper and grabbed another one.

MASS MURDERUR SIRIUS BLACK FINALLY PUT IN PRISON

"You shouldn't read those." Dean said. Ella looked up from the paper and noticed Dean staring at her. "I think he did do it, Dean. Is that wrong?"

"I can't decide what's right or wrong, El." Ella sighed again and let her head fall on the table. Her phone fell forward, and she quickly replaced it against the books. "I think I'm going to bed. My head is mess. I'll call you tomorrow, ok?"

"Keep tight, Ella."

They said their goodbyes and Ella ended the video chat. She grabbed all the papers together and pushed them into her bag. Her phone was thrown in it too and she pulled all the books close to her. The book on top of the pile caught her notice and she lifted it up to read the cover.

Hogwarts a History   
By Bathilda Bagshot

"I was looking everywhere for that book. Are you still reading it?" A voice caught her attention away from the book. Ella looked up to see a boy with dark brown hair standing in front of her. He was dressed casually, with a brown jumper and black baggy jeans. He smiled nervously at her as she scanned him completely before answering.

"I actually haven't had the time to start. But you can have it before me." she stretched the book out to his direction.

"That's kind. I'm Cedric by the way, Cedric Diggory."

"Ella Black."

He rotated the book awkwardly in his hands and nodded. "Where do I find you?" Ella raised her eyebrow as she stood. "To return the book, of course." He quickly said after. "It's a school, Cedric. I won't be that hard to find." She walked past him to put her books back in the shelf.

"Ah, you want me to search for you. You're that kind of girl."

"I'm actually not. But this is a school for training assassins isn't it not? I don't think finding me would be anything you haven't done yet." She put her last book in the shelf and winked at him.

She walked away, out of the library, and back to her dorm. She was desperate for a long night of sleep before she had to go through any more classes. Her body felt bruised and every inch of her skin ached. If Harry wouldn't kill her, she was sure Madam Hooch' classes would.

~

She had just stepped into her pyjamas, curled herself under her blankets and closed her eyes for a whole of 2 seconds, before someone loudly knocked on her door.

After mumbling multiple curse words, she finally opened the door. Theodore stepped in furious and opened her wardrobe. "What are you doing?" Ella's voice was filled with worry. She was completely off guard. "You are in your pyjamas and you need clothes." He pulled out a green jumper and black skinny jeans. "Do you want me to grab a piece of fresh knickers or do you want to do that yourself?" He had an irritation in the tone of his voice that itched her the wrong way.

"Excuse me?!"

Ella walked up to him, slammed her wardrobe door close and pushed him away from it. "Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on?"

"We have been summoned to go on a mission."

"We?!"

"Yes. And we are losing time if you don't get dressed fast." Theodore pushed the clothes in her hands and turned around. "But- but I've never been on a mission before." As if he wasn't aware of that.

"Dumbledore doesn't care. Get dressed."

"What are we supposed to do? Are we going to kill someone like you did with the minister?"

Theodore turned back around and walked closer to her. "Do I need to undress you or are you capable of doing it yourself?" He raised his eyebrow and Ella realized that this was serious. She nodded and he turned back around. As fast as she could she undressed herself and jumped in her jeans. After she buttoned it, she threw the jumper over her head and told him she was done.

Without giving her a single glance, he walked out of the room, expecting her to follow. ''Don't forget your coat.''


	4. AD, Hog's Head out

It was pretty late in the evening as Theodore walked through the dark corridors of Hogwarts. Every other student was gone to bed. He almost sprinted his way through the halls as he as well wanted to be in his bed desperately. The dark halls didn't make it much easier on him. His eyes were almost shut as he searched for the door handle of the room, he was supposed to be in.

When his hand finally found it and his fingers were curled around its metal, he pushed the door open. The bright light from inside the room opened his eyes immediately. He was awakened and alert again. His eyes lingered on the empty desk before they looked beside it to see Dumbledore. 

''You called for me, sir?''

Dumbledore nodded. ''I apologize for waking you at this hour.'' His mouth turned up a fraction of an inch when Theodore closed the door behind him and walked further into the room. ''It's not a problem, sir. I was awake still.''

''Good. I have summoned you because I want you to bring something for me to my brother.'' Dumbledore walked to his desk and opened a small drawer which was on top of two larger ones. He pulled out a simple envelope and held it in front of his face.

''Sir. With all due respect, am I not supposed to watch the Black's girl? If I'm in the need to leave she will be alone.'' Theodore stepped closer to the desk and let his eyes linger on the envelope. He noticed the name written on the back.

Aberfort Dumbledore  
Hog's Head Inn, Hogsmeade

''What do you think I have this envelope for?'' Theodore stared at the small paper in his hands and bit his teeth together. ''But sir, it's just her second day on this school.'' Dumbledore felt as if Theodore had just made a fool out of him. ''Theodore, may I remind you of her family background? The girl is the daughter of Sirius Black, a member of the Black family which is one of the most looked up families of this school. Is she won't succeed in this small mission I have just gave you, she is just not fitted for Hogwarts.''

''Isn't it better if someone more qualified does it? I mean – I haven't even –''

''I hope you're not backing out on our agreement, Theodore.'' Theodore dodged Dumbledore's eyes and made an almost no noticeable nod. ''When are we supposed to deliver the envelope?'' He asked conflicted.

Dumbledore put the envelope in Theodore's direction, and he grabbed it from him. ''Right this moment.''

Without putting anymore sentences in the conversation, Theodore had already left the room. Filled with anger he paced through the hall before walking to Ella's dormitory.

After he had woken her and they were now both walking through the dark corridors, he had to make another stop first. Theodore turned to the left and he expected a comment from Ella that the courtyard was the other way, but she followed him without questioning.

Theodore stopped walking and turned to watch a closed door in front of him. Ella was glad he stopped, now she had a few seconds to breathe. Those long legs of his sure as hell had a speed to it. Before she could open her mouth to make any commentary, Theodore knelt down and shoved a small piece of paper underneath the door. When he stood, he knocked three times on the door before he pulled Ella away from it.

''What was that?'' Ella asked between her gasps of air. ''Nothing important.'' Ella decided to just leave it at that. For some reason Theodore seemed grumpy and she didn't know him well enough to know if she should comfort him or let him be. He turned around to face her and she noticed a small tightening of the vein in his forehead. Without anything else to say, he started walking back the direction that they came from.

Just when Ella was disappearing behind the corner, she saw a movement in the door handle they would just stand in front of. She knew she couldn't look whose dorm it was because then she would invade Theodore's privacy. So, she decided to keep walking.

~

A while after, they had arrived at Hogsmeade. Ella used to hear great stories about the village from her father, but she never had the chance to go by herself. He told her about his younger years and how he always snook out of Hogwarts to have a beer with his best friends Remus Lupin, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew.

Of whom he had killed two.

Ella shook her head to get the memory of her father out. This wasn't the time nor the place to think about him and what he had done. She didn't know what she was walking in to. Theodore hadn't told her anything. They weren't armed or protected in any way, so she was hoping that it wasn't dangerous.

''You stay here.'' Theodore told her as they came across a little pub. Ella nodded and watched him step inside it. She tilted her head to get a clear sight of the sign above. Hog's Head Inn. What an – inviting name for a pub. She crossed her arms and looked around. Could she actually wander the place to take in Hogsmeade? Or was she supposed to wait for Theodore.

He wouldn't let her wander around after he had done what he was supposed to do here. She didn't take him for the type to sightsee. The few pubs and closed shops in this particular area was all she could witness. Would her father have gone to these bars?

No, she shouldn't be thinking about him.

Her tired mind was something she wasn't quite capable of to maintain. For some reason she was sure she heard some rustles coming from behind a shop in front of her. She looked behind her if she could see Theodore somewhere, but the pub's windows were darkened.

Another rustle got her attention and she stepped aside. She let her eyes scan the area without making any sudden movement. If it was a sniper, she would've been dead. They would've a clear shot on her and she wasn't moving as well. Moving would make it clear that she was aware of their whereabouts, standing still would make her a perfect target.

She stepped closer to the entrance of the bar so if she heard any noise from a gun, she would run in and hide.

She turned her head to the left as a group of people were laughing and chatting beside her. They seemed drunk by the crooked way they walked. A hand now placed itself on her shoulder and in total terror she jumped away and raised her hands as armer.

''I'm so sorry to scare you... I just wanted to ask,'' a girl stood in front of her and Ella let down her hands. She was wearing a black fur coat and her black curled hair blended into it. ''Do you know the way to Gladrags Wholewear?''

''Ehm, I think I saw a sign somewhere over there,'' Ella turned around and pointed her finger to the direction where she came from with Theodore. ''But isn't that closed?'' When she wanted to turn back to the girl, a hard metal was pushed in her stomach. Ella gasped in pain and fell through her knees on the cold ground. She saw the hand of the girl now closer; brass knuckles.

She tried not to show her pain and pushed herself half up from the ground. But by that movement she gave herself another ticket to get kicked in the face.

A large black boot clouded her sight and before she could fight it, she was back on the ground.

She heard the girl step away from her and into the pub. Ella had to warn Theodore but standing up was a struggle. Her entire stomach and face hurt, and she was sure she felt blood drip from her nose.

She couldn't just lay there. She had to do something. Forced through all the pain and dizziness, she managed to push herself up and stumbled into the pub.

The pub was filled with older man and woman which she didn't recognize. A few eyes were pinned on her as she brought an entire show by just walking in. She ignored the looks and whispers and walked up to the bar. Before she could reach it, a loud bang was sounded from the first floor. The people inside the pub all started to panic and ran out of the pub.

Theodore.

The adrenaline started rushing through her body and she couldn't feel any pain anymore. She ran to the stairs on her right and opened the first door she saw in front of her.

The room had 3 people in it, and she scanned all of them. Theodore was laying on the ground with a bullet hole in his left leg. There was much blood leaving from his leg and a small trace was beneath him. Another man, much older than the two of them, stood behind a desk with his hands up in the air.

The girl who had kicked her outside the pub had her gun aimed at his head. She turned her head over her shoulder to look at Ella. Even though her entire body was filled with adrenaline, she couldn't think of anything she could do. She was unarmed and unprotected.

Ella raised her hands and did the only thing she thought she was able to do. Talk.

''Please,'' she started. Her eyes shifted from the girl to Theodore. He watched her in disappointment. He probably realized that Ella wasn't able to help him or herself. The girl could easily shoot her and him.

''I'm not here for you, darling. Go back to where you came from.'' The girl spit at her. ''Let's just talk this out, there is no need for anyone to be killed.'' Ella kept trying.

''What do you think this is? A TV show? Are you taking a piss at me?'' The girl now aimed her gun at Ella.

''I would never. I just know we can talk about this without anymore bloodshed.''

''Ella what the fuck are you doing? Get out of here!'' Theodore snapped. The girl turned back to him and shot again, but this time in his shoulder. He screamed in pain and the crack in his voice was so hurtful to hear.

''I want that envelope.'' The girl spoke to the man. ''I don't have it.'' He responded. Ella then realized what she and Theodore were supposed to do that night. Theodore must've got the envelope from Dumbledore to bring to this man. While the girl was talking to the man and completely forgot about Ella's existence, or maybe she didn't see her as a treat at all, Ella managed to lock her eyes with Theodore's. Where is it? She asked without any spoken words.

He shook his head as he knew it was too dangerous for her to do anything. She let her head fall down a bit and frowned her eyebrows. Theodore hesitated and looked at the drawer on his right. The drawer behind the girl. The man noticed movement of his head and looked at him for half a second.

Sadly, that was enough for the girl to notice something was going on between the two. She turned to Theodore, stepped closer and kneeled down in front of him. She put her gun against his forehead and looked back at the man again. ''One last chance, Aberforth. Or I will kill this kid right here, right now.'' She hissed.

This was Ella's chance. She silently walked up to the drawer and opened it. She reached in her hand an grabbed the single envelope that was inside. When she closed it, the noise made the girl turn around to her.

''You bitch.'' She jumped up and walked up to Ella. She grabbed her throat and pushed her against the wall. Ella quickly put the envelope in her back pocket without the girl realizing. The girl put the gun against her forehead and Ella groaned as she tightened her grip around her throat.

A flashback of Harry and her flooded her mind.

''Give me the fucking envelope!'' The girl yelled. Spit landed on Ella's face, but the anger of the girl seemed to be her weakness and Ella was quick to notice. As the word fucking was mumbled, her grip around her throat was loosened. It wasn't long, just a second perhaps.

''You could use a mint.'' Ella whispered with a grin on her face. In total disbelief, the girl bit her teeth and reloaded the gun.

Not close enough.

''I'm serious, you could easily kill someone with that smell.'' The words came out with a crack, because talking was almost impossible with someone's hand around your throat. The girl pushed the gun further into her skin and her eyes seemed to be on the anger level Ella was so desperate to reach.

''You know what else can easily kill a person?'' Her fingers moved challenging along the trigger. Her hand on Ella's throat loosened and she pushed it off of her. With her other hand she pushed the gun away from her forehead, just in case she would shoot out of shock. She turned the girl's arm backwards and kicked in both her kneecaps. The girl gasped and fell forwards on the ground. Ella steadied herself on top of the girl and kicked the gun out of her hand.

The gun slid to the other side of the room and Ella pushed her knee onto the girl's arms as she still held them with her right hand. Her left hand was pushed against the back of her head.

The girl tried to fight herself loose and when she lifted her head, Ella pushed it against the ground with much force. She heard a small snap from her nose and the girl didn't move again.

Not sure if she could stand up already, she looked at Theodore whom didn't seem satisfied yet. His face expression gave Ella anxiety, so she stood and grabbed the gun off the ground. When she wanted to walk back to Theodore to check up on his wounds, a bullet flew along her body.

She was saved by just an inch. Ella turned her head to the door where now two tall man were standing. They were all covered in black jumpers and black trousers. She immediately held her gun up and pointed at them both.

Before any of them could aim at her, Ella witnessed a bullet go straight to either of their heads. They fell forward on the ground and blood circled along their head. Her eyes had followed their fall and when she looked back up, she locked eyes with Draco Malfoy.

''Took you long enough.'' Theodore said annoyed.

''I wanted to see what our Black girl was about to do first.'' He stepped over the two bodies and walked towards Theodore. When he was standing in the same line as Ella was, she pointed his finger at his own nose. "You have something here." He said.

Ella started rubbing the top of her hand under her nose in embarrassment and looked down to see dried blood on it.

Draco now kneeled down next to Theodore. He helped him stand and Theodore leaned onto him.

''Give Aberforth the bloody envelope and come with us.'' Theodore said. The boys left the room and Ella cleaned the blood of her hand. Her body started to shake, and she could feel the pain rushing back through her body. ''I'll clean up this mess.'' Aberforth said as he looked at the bodies in disgust.

Ella walked up to him and pulled the envelope out of her back pocket. She gave the man the envelope and he kindly accepted. ''May I ask, what's in it?''

Aberforth looked down at the envelope and opened it. He pulled out the paper inside and read the words that were written across. ''It's better you do not know yet.'' He said. His eyes tilted back to hers and Ella was to tired to fight him on this. Instead, she nodded and walked out of the room.

When she was back outside of the pub, she noticed Draco kneeling down behind a closed shop. He pulled a sniper away from behind the bushes and walked back to Theodore who was waiting for him on the path. The rustles; Draco was here all along.


	5. 1 book, 6 beers

Ella had her hand on a wet washcloth, which she had pushed just underneath her nostrils. She was aware that the bleeding had stopped for a while already, but Theodore still wanted her to have the cloth against her nose. She thought that maybe he wanted the attention to be focused on her instead of him.

They were in Draco and Blaise's dormitory. Draco had brought Theodore in and put him on Blaise's bed. Blaise was actually having a blast with Pansy before they had stormed in. Of course, after seeing Theodore with two extra holes in his body, they decided to stay.

Ella was silently sitting on a small chair at the window as she watched Draco taking care of Theodore's wounds. The room was small, just a normal boy dormitory. On the left side from her, was Draco's bed.

His bed frame was black, his covers were dark grey, and one of his two pillows was emerald green while the other blended in with the color of his covers. It was just a normal, well made bed. There was nothing weird going on. The walls beside his bed were empty, undecorated.

Blaise's side was a bit – more. His bedframe was light grey; his covers were matte black and also was one of his two pillows. The other one had a zebra print on it. His bed wasn't made and that wasn't Theodore's fault because before the trio got there, it wasn't made as well. Ella was quite sure herself that his bed never truly was made as beautifully as Draco's was.

On the walls were paintings of athletes or motivational speakers. Under his bed was another blanket rolled up and multiple empty bottles of beer. It was funny to her how their simple dormitory was exactly how she imagined it.

Theodore started coughing and grabbed his shoulder in pain. ''You shouldn't move that much, Theo.'' Pansy said as she leaned on Draco's shoulders to get a better look at him. Ella shifted her eyes away from them and refocused on Theodore.

''Just hurry up, Malfoy.'' Theodore hissed. Draco let his eyes linger on Theodore's face but didn't respond. It was purely a gift because he knew his friend was in pain. He looked back to the wound on Theodore's shoulder and tilted his hand a bit.

His left hand was holding a small pincer and with that he tried to get the bullet out. ''You're lucky the one on your leg had gone through, Theo.'' Pansy said coolly. ''Very lucky.'' Theodore said with a tone filled with sarcasm.

Draco narrowed his eyes and pulled the outer side of skin from the hole further open. Theodore gasped and Draco finally pulled the bullet out. Pansy now grabbed Theodore's jaw and opened it. She pushed a rolled-up pair of socks in and closed his mouth again. Before Theodore had any chance to protest, Draco guttered pure whiskey on top of the wound and Theodore started screaming as he bit in the socks. Pansy held his head in place as she shushed him.

Ella looked away from him, she couldn't help but share his pain every time she heard him screaming. Blaise noticed and walked up to her. ''I'm pretty sure your nose isn't bleeding anymore.'' He said. Ella was glad she could now finally let go of the cloth. Blaise crossed his arms and looked down at her stomach. ''Why are you sitting that crooked?''

Ella looked down at how she sat, she didn't notice that she had sacked in and bowed forward.

''Brass knuckles.'' Draco muttered. He cleaned off the Whiskey with tepid clean water and Pansy pulled the socks out of Theodore's mouth.

''Stand up. So, I can take a look.'' Blaise's voice was weary but cheerful. Ella didn't like the idea of him touching her stomach, but if she would protest, they would probably think less of her than they already did. She pushed herself nervously off the chair and steadied herself on her feet. Very slowly, she tilted her chin to look back at Blaise.

''Pansy will do it.'' A voice filled with wisdom and riches echoed through the room.

A bit surprised, Ella and Blaise looked at the other three. Draco hadn't moved an inch at all as he was still disinfecting the wound. He had just spoke without any notice to the two of them. Yet, the little effort he put in his sentence was enough for Blaise and Pansy to switch places.

Pansy walked in front of Ella and clouded her sight. Pansy's soft fingertips touched her skin when she pulled her jumper a bit up. A huge bruise was shown, and Pansy frowned her brows. ''Are you having trouble breathing?'' She asked. Ella shook her head and Pansy pushed into her skin around the bruise. ''Muscle spasms are normal.''

Her fingertips now moved onto the bruise and Ella gasped a little, giving her notice of the pain the bruise hid underneath her skin. ''I don't think any ribs are broken, but if I were you, I would take it easy the next couple of days.''

Pansy pulled her jumper back in place and stepped away from her. ''She's good.'' She announced before she let herself fall on the bed next to Theodore. The mattress bounced up and Theodore groaned. ''Fuck off, Pans.''

''Don't be mean, Theo.'' She playfully pushed her finger in his cheek as he rolled his sleeve back over his wound.

Draco stood and picked up the used towels and paper tissue. He walked to a little can and threw it all in. Ella seemed a bit shocked that he threw the towels in the trash just like that. Must be nice being rich.

Draco then walked to the little bathroom of their dormitory and washed the blood of his hands. Ella watched his back through the little door opening. His arms moved slowly and unbothered as he cleaned the blood off. She wanted to address the fact that he had been hiding in the bushes the entire evening and didn't step in any sooner.

But could she?

Before she could finish the conflict in her brain, Theodore stood and waved his hand to her. ''It's late, we should go.'' Ella nodded and followed him out of the dormitory. Pansy waved her fingers as goodbye and Theodore closed the door behind them.

''Are you sure you can walk?'' Ella asked him.

''I'm fine.''

''You got shot.''

''This isn't my first rodeo, Ella. I'm sure you can find your way back to your dorm, right?'' He waited for her to speak. Ella then formed a small nod and he walked away from her.

~

Ella grabbed another slice of cake out of the jar and put it on her plate. Her hair was in a high ponytail and she wore a white crop top with blue mom jeans underneath. She had a winged liner on top of her eyelids and around her neck she had two necklaces, one with a white doll face and another one of a black doll face. In her ears she had the same doll faces, but in earring format.

She grabbed the slice of cake between her fingers and took a bite out of it. Her father was sitting in front of her and he pulled down the paper he was reading just enough to show his eyes. ''Isn't that your second slice?'' Sirius asked.

''Yes. It is.'' Ella smiled as she took another bite out of it, just to spite him.

That moment, the bell rang, and Ella stood. ''I'll get it.'' She walked to the door and with a swing, she opened it. ''Good morning.'' She said with the happiest voice there was. ''Good morning to you too – Here you go, have a good day!'' – Ella grabbed a package from the man and closed the door.

She walked back to the dining table as she read the sign on the package out loud. ''I think they send this to the wrong address.''

''Why?'' Sirius took a sip of his coffee. ''It says this package is for someone called Padfoot? Do we know someone with that name?'' Ella looked up from the package to see Sirius' face tighten.

''Should I return this to the post office?''

''No, I will do it.'' Sirius put down his paper and coffee before he stood. He grabbed the package from her and there fell a silence between them.

"Is everything alright?" Ella asked.

"Yes dear. I just remembered that there is some paperwork I still need to do. I'll be up in my study." Ella nodded as her father walked out of the room.

A small tear exited her eye as the alarm clock went off. Ella turned around in her bed and slammed her hand on her phone. She didn't get much sleep this night. Even the dream of her and her father that never had been a memory she hung on to, kept playing in her now awake mind.

There was no time for her to think about it now, she had to get ready for classes. The only good thing about today was that she didn't have any lessons from Madam Hooch. She was certain that even though she had an injury, she wouldn't be spared.

~

The classroom was already filled with students and the teacher was already at his desk. Ella looked around the classroom to find a free seat. Theodore wasn't in today, but she expected that. He needed rest and his injuries to heal.

Her eyes moved to the right of the classroom. To Harry. He was again sitting beside the girl with brown curly locks. She never asked about her, but they seemed close. Her face was smooth and literally to die for. She had an innocence to her appearance, yet a danger hovered around it as well. Maybe one day, they would have to chance to meet.

On the left were more seats empty. Draco was sitting alone in the back. In front of him was an entire row empty. In front of that were Blaise and Pansy.

She hadn't ever really talked to Draco and he never gave her an opportunity to. He didn't exactly seem the type for small talk. She didn't want to risk rejection but sitting in front of him at the empty row would've been an insult to him.

"Ms. Black. Take a seat please. I want to get started on my lesson."

The one teaching them was Horace Slughorn. He was known to teach how to be silent, patient and still. A great skill any assassin should learn when hiding, even if it was just to hide from an enemy or when having to snipe someone.

He pointed at a row in front of him where a single girl was sitting. Grateful, Ella walked to the row and sat herself down next to her. The girl let her head lean over her shoulder and watched her unpack her books.

"We don't need books for this class." She said.

Ella looked back, embarrassed. Why was she such a lame student?

"Don't be ashamed. You simply didn't know. I'm Cho Chang by the way."

Ella reached out her hand and said: "Ella Black." Cho looked at her hand hanging in the air before casually telling her, "I don't shake hands. But it's nice to finally meet the infamous daughter of Sirius Black."

Even more ashamed then she already was, Ella pulled her hand back. "What?"

"Your father is amazing. God, your entire family is. Your aunt is my idol."

"Good to know."

Slughorn coughed for attention and when all the heads were focused on him, he started to speak. It was mostly about what the lesson was going to look like. He wanted everyone in the courtyard to show him their hiding skills. Everyone would be in a group of 3. Every group would have a different type of scene they would have to play out.

He made the groups himself and Ella wasn't paying much attention as he called out the names. Her mind wandered along the memory she got of her father that night. She never really thought about the package until now. He seemed off, something she didn't notice that day but now that she saw his face again, he was.

"... Cho Chang, Ella Black and Draco Malfoy..."

Ella looked up as her name was called. Cho had a smirk on her face. Ella turned around to see if Draco seemed any different by the hearing of his group. His eyes were focused on her, but she couldn't get out any negative face expression.

She looked back to the front of the class and let herself slide down her chair. Just great.

~

Ella had her back against the wall, and she tried her hardest not to breathe. Multiple men were walking around the courtyard, surrounding them. Cho was sitting above the gazebo and Draco was behind the bush next to the wall where Ella was.

He was kneeled down, and he held a knife close to his face as protection. Ella had hers hanging along her body and Cho had her sword along her back. She saw Cho moving her head as direction for her to move.

Ella squatted down and made a small jump to disappear behind the bush next to Draco. He looked a bit annoyed by her sudden movement but didn't do anything.

When one of those men walked behind the wall she was first standing at, his annoying expression formed back to normal, as if he now understood.

The man walked along the bush and Ella narrowed her eyes underneath to see his feet disappear. She looked up at Cho, who had her left leg laid over the entire roof as she moved her body carefully around to make sure she saw every man walking around.

When Ella moved her chin back down, she noticed Draco's hand moving. He had his arm leaning on his knee while the other was still up by his chin. His hand was shaking, and Ella was staring too long. When he caught on, he grabbed his own hand, making a small sound of his skin touching.

Even though the sound was almost not noticeable, it was enough for one of the men to hear. He ran behind the bush and Ella and Draco flew up. They both held up their knifes and the man pulled out two swords from behind his back.

How the fuck was she going to fight him with her little baby knife?

Before she could make up her mind how to fight him, Draco had jumped in front of her and held his knife up to the two swords. Even he was struggling with such a small piece of metal.

He pushed the man back and grabbed his wrist. With his other arm, he punched him in his gut with his elbow. He rotated the sword out of his hand and lifted both his arms. As he sliced them back through the air, the man dodged by jumping to the side.

The man squatted down and slid his other sword underneath Draco's feet. Draco jumped up and kicked him against his shoulder. The man fell backwards, and Draco pulled away his second sword.

He threw the sword to Ella but before she could grab it from the air, it was pushed away by another sword. The sword was held by another man who immediately turned around and pushed his sword towards Ella.

She leaned back and watched the knife move in front of her face. When he had pulled it back, Draco had moved his sword in front of his neck. He held the sword with both his hands as he stood behind him.

Ella bowed down to grab the fallen sword but before she even touched its metal, she got kicked to her hip. She fell on the ground and another man jumped on top of her.

He had two Sai's in his hands which he held up close to her face. Ella had grabbed both his wrists just in time and pushed them away from her. She bit her teeth together as she felt him winning. She wasn't strong enough. Her arms started shaking as she still pushed his arms away from her face, but it made him push even harder back.

She looked down as she noticed his left leg shaking. She pulled her own knee up and kicked his knee in. He lost his balance and fell completely on top of her. That moment, Cho ran up to them and kicked him off Ella.

Ella and the man stood, and Cho continued the sword fight with the man. Ella now finally grabbed the sword, which was still laying on the floor, lifted it up, but then Slughorn walked in and stopped the lesson.

Both Draco and Cho let go of their men and Ella stood there a bit awkward between them. "Draco," Slughorn started.

"You disappoint me. What was that?"

"Just a mistake."

"Just a mistake?" Slughorn walked closer to him. "That little mistake could have cost you and your mates your life." Draco bit the inside of his cheek. His jaw tightened and he hid his fists in his pockets.

"Cho, amazing like always. But Ella,"

Ella looked a bit down as she imagined an entire speech of how she messed up. But what did she expect? She didn't do anything. Draco and Cho had to safe her the entire time.

"The way you caught on his weak knee was incredible. I've never seen a student get a notice of someone's weakness that fast."

Ella looked up in surprise. Did he – compliment her?

"But everything else was disappointing. If your fellow mates weren't here, you would've been dead."

Oh.

He then walked away and dismissed the class.

"I was impressed." Cho winked at her as she walked out the courtyard with the other students. Draco grabbed up the two swords that laid close to him and also followed the others. Ella inhaled deeply as the courtyard was now empty. It was just her. She bowed down to grab her baby knife and Draco's. The rest was already taken by Cho.

~

That afternoon after classes, Ella decided to bring Theodore a visit. She walked along the corridors of Hogwarts, searching her way to Theodore's dormitory. She didn't even know which one was his, but she also didn't feel like asking Draco or Blaise.

She watched fellow students wander around her, but she didn't recognize anyone. Disappointed, she let her arms hang beside her body. In her left hand, she was holding her favourite book.

The chosen one  
By Daniel Radcliffe

It was her comfort book. He had written an entire world filled with witches, wizards, magic and magical creatures. It was about a boy who grew up without the knowledge that he was a wizard and the story moved on to him finding out, attending school, growing as a wizard to eventually take down the Dark Lord.

If she could only live in a world like that.

In her right hand, she was holding a six-pack of beer.

Ella gave up on her search and decided to turn back to her room. Maybe tomorrow she would have to courage to walk up to either Draco or Blaise to ask where Theodore's dormitory was. Theirs was the only one she knew. Pansy's room was just as hidden for her as Theodore's was. Besides, she had spoken Pansy once so asking her wasn't an option either.

When she turned the corner, she almost bumped into Cedric. His pupils grew bigger as he noticed her.

"I found you." He said with a big smile on his face.

"You did indeed."

"Here," he pulled his backpack over his shoulder and zipped it open. Ella watched him take out the book she lent him, and he happily returned.

"Thank you for lending me the book." He slid it over the other book she was holding. "Are you having a party?" Cedric asked her, addressing the beers.

"No, I wanted to go visit Theo, since he's injured but I couldn't find his dorm."

"Theodore Nott?"

Ella raised her eyebrow. "Yes. Do you know him?"

"Of course, I know him. He's my dorm mate. I was just on my way to Snape's office, but I can take you to our dorm before that?"

"Thank you. I- I'd like that."

He let his head fall down a bit as he tried to hide his smile. It was the most precious smile, it made Ella smile along with him.

While Cedric walked her to his dormitory, he and Ella spoke a lot. She learned how his father was leading the mafia and how he would eventually take over as leader. In this school, their students took proud in the crimes their family did. How bigger the crime, how much more cloud they received. He was happily telling her about all the situations he had gone through with the gang. Where they stood for, what they wanted to achieve and how much of that they already had.

A few minutes later - could've been shorter but Ella was certain that Cedric had taken a detour so he would have more time with her - they arrived at the dormitory.

"Thank you for walking me." Ella said coolly.

"Any time." He smiled again as he walked backwards, turned around and disappeared in the hall. Ella watched him leave before she knocked on the door. "It's open!" She heard Theodore yell from the inside.

She pushed the door open, noticed a topless Theodore, looked at the ground immediately and started blushed when she heard him chuckle.

"Sorry, I didn't expect you." He walked to his wardrobe, pulled out a black shirt and pulled it over his head. When Ella heard the door of his wardrobe close, she looked back up again.

"I should've announced myself, I'm sorry."

"No, no. It's fine. It's just that if I knew you were coming, I would've dressed myself properly."

Ella smiled and Theodore caught notice on the books and beers in her hands. "Which makes me question, why exactly are you here?"

"I didn't see you in class so I thought I would pay you a visit. To check up on you." She held up the books. "I brought books. Well, one actually." She stepped further into the room and Theodore shut the door behind her.

"I thought now that you're locked up in your room all day you might want something to read. I brought my favourite; you should really read it."

Theodore grabbed the two books from her hand, and she grabbed the one Cedric had lent back from him.

"It's just that one. But if you want this too, you could-" Theodore started laughing as he scrolled through the pages.

"I didn't really know if you read, so I also brought beer." Ella held up the six-pack and smiled awkwardly at him.

"I'll take that." He took over the beers and put it on the little table beside the window. He turned back to her with the book still in his hands. "You said that this is your favourite?" Ella nodded.

"I'm not a reader but I will read this. You're better not disappointing me, Black."

"That's why I got you the beer." She pointed her eyes at the six-pack and as Theodore read the back of the bookcover, a silence fell in the room.

"Well, if you're busy I should probably go."

"No, stay. You could help me try that beer." Theodore suggested. Ella frowned her eyebrows a bit and he was quick to notice. "I also have vodka."

"I'll take that." She sat herself down on one of the bed's and watched Theodore grab a bottle from out of his closet. He filled her a glass and pulled out a beer for himself. He sat himself beside her, making it known that it was his bed, held up the book and started talking about it.

For a guy that disliked reading, he was really invested in it. Sometimes Ella would look up at him as he read the sentences out loud. She would stare at his side profile before he noticed, which made her immediately look back at the papers and nod as if she was watching them the entire time.


	6. Bloody socks

A week had passed since Dumbledore had send Ella and Theodore away to bring the envelope to his brother. Ella's bruise had completely faded, and Theodore was starting his classes again. He was still sitting out on Madame Hooch's and Slughorn's classes. They were the two of the three physical classes they had.

The third one was where they learned how to aim at their target. Theodore didn't want to miss out on that one but the pain in his shoulder didn't do him any justice.

Ella was getting way better at blending in. She was glad Theodore was back, he would always spare her a cheat beside him. In Madam Hooch's class she was pared up with Blaise. It was a blast to see him underestimate her, to finally fall on his fat arse.

The second class of Slughorn was just as bad at the first one. Ella couldn't quite get it, it seemed. She again, just stood there beside Draco and Cho and let them do all the work. This time Slughorn didn't compliment her at all, it was just disappointment.

Snape was still the same as before. He was mean, harsh and had no time for failures. He was good at what he did and if he was teaching, he hated students that fucked up. It didn't let Ella like him less though. The way he spoke, the way he walked, the respect everyone had for him even though he was the meanest teacher of the school... She wanted that.

Today, they would have murder history from Minerva McGonagall, manipulation from Alastor Moony - he also went by the name Mad-Eye, after losing an eye in battle - and IT from a teacher she hadn't met yet due to his sudden illness. The IT lesson was for most students just a spare hour. The class was unattended, and nobody really felt like studying.

Ella didn't hate any of these classes, but she found herself drifting off while McGonagall was talking about Dennis Rader. A serial killer also known by BTK. He was sentenced with life imprisonment after he had killed ten people. That's all Ella had heard from her.

She slowly closed her eyes and drifted back to her younger years.

"But daddy, I don't want to go." A seven-year-old Ella said. She stamped her foot on the ground as protest.

"It will be shortly. You can play there until daddy is done talking, okay?" Sirius was kneeled in front of her. He had both his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. His long brown locks fell in front of his face and Ella wiped it away.

"I can't play there. The house is cold and dark and there are no children." She pouted her lips.

"You can play everywhere you want darling," he moved his hand up and pointed his finger at my forehead. "all you need is inside of here."

"I have to play with my mind?"

"Something like that. Do you know that voice in your head? The one you hear when you're reading or thinking about something?"

Ella nodded.

"It's a nice voice, isn't it? Does it sound like yours?" This time, Ella shook her head. "They sound different every time. Sometimes the voice is high, other times it's low." She responded.

"Use that. Use those voices as children to play with."

"Okay, daddy."

Later, when they had arrived at a big mansion, Sirius had left her alone in the living room. Ella looked around and climbed on the couch. She grabbed one of the pillows and stared at it. 'Nice pillow,' she thought. 'Oh, hey there!'

Ella started laughing. "Can you hear us too?" She looked at the pillow before raising it in the air.

"Daddy told me to talk to my voices. It's a bit boring talking in my mind. I hope it doesn't bother you if I talk out loud."

"Of course not! I can hear you perfectly."

Ella giggled.

"We cannnnn, I see I see what you can't see!"

"I see black!"

Ella giggled again. ''Just like my last name!''

Ella looked around. She let the pillow back down on the couch and jumped off. She wandered around the room and touched anything that was black. "This!" She turned around holding a small candle, as if anyone was standing behind her. "No, no! Not that!"

Ella chuckled and put the candle back in its place. She hopped around and grabbed more things. When she tried to lift a van off the ground she started jumping at the same time. "This is it! I'm so smart!" That moment, Sirius and her aunt Bellatrix Lestrange walked in.

"Sirius, is she talking to herself?" Bellatrix asked.

"Yes." Sirius answered. They both looked at her as she was still jumping and praising herself. "If others can't make her happy, she should be able to do it herself." Sirius said.

"And why was he arrested... Ella?" The voice of McGonagall broke her out of her daydreaming. Ella jumped up and she heard Pansy giggle behind her. "Eh - Because,"

Think, please think.

"He left a body behind?" She already knew this wasn't the right answer. McGonagall put her fingers on her forehead and squeezed her own skin.

"Someone else?"

A hand was raised in the air. "Yes, Hermione?" Ella looked to the side to see the girl beside Harry. Finally, the face had now a name. "He hung on to emotional value. After every murder he would send the police a letter stating his entire kill, educating them on how he did it, where he did it and who the victim was. Because of those letters they discovered who was he was and where he lived. He was driving downtown when he got arrested and he wasn't bothered by it at all." Hermione Granger told.

Ella was shaking. How did she know all of that?

"And what is one thing an assassin shouldn't do?" McGonagall asked her.

"Hang on to emotional value. If anything makes you emotional, if any guilt or depression gets a hold on you - you're done for."

"Very well. Something to learn from, Ms Black."

Ella felt the eyes of her fellow students burn in her skin. Yet, she didn't care as much as she normally would. Again, she got a memory of her and her father. This one was different; she was younger and as far as she knew this one wasn't about him. But what did it mean?

~

Ella was sitting in the courtyard with Theodore, Blaise and Draco. Pansy had just run up to them and held up a piece of paper.

"I've got our next assignment from Mad-Eye. It's really exciting." She sat herself down between Ella and Theodore and shared the paper with Ella.

"We have to manipulate someone in committing a crime for us without leaving any tracks." Ella read out loud.

"I'd do anything for you my love, no manipulation needed." Blaise bowed over Pansy with his lips puckered. She pushed him away from him and winked at him playfully. "No classmates." Ella continued.

"Oh boohoo." Pansy stated directly to Blaise.

"That's easy guys, the Yule party is this weekend. Enough choice." Theodore said.

"What's a Yule party?" Ella asked him. "It's a party Dumbledore organizes every year. It's a night when all the locals are welcome at Hogwarts. This way we show them that we're just an ordinary private school."

"I've missed the locals, they are fun." Pansy said.

"And how are we going to do this? I mean I've never manipulated anyone, and I don't even know what crime-"

"No! There is no we, this assignment is individual. We can't help you." Theodore said. Ella closed her eyes and sighed.

"Don't sorry, El. Just pop your tits out, works for me every time." Pansy winked at her. Ella narrowed her eyes and frowned her brows; it was better that she didn't respond to her.

The conversation changed and Ella got zoomed out. Blaise was on top of Pansy the entire time and Theodore was talking nonstop about subjects that didn't got through to Ella at all. At least she wasn't the only one left out from the conversation. She watched Draco with his head in a book. He was holding a pen with his left hand and turned the pages with his pen.

For some reason, he was flipping the pages to the right, reading it from the end to beginning. She watched the pages get turned, his hand was angled perfectly and without much muscle movement he moved around the pen.

Ella looked at the veins in his hand, starting from his pointed knuckles all the way to his wrist, where they faded away. As he moved the pen, the bone in his wrist moved up and down. She watched the movement for a few seconds before her eyes moved up along his arm, his elbow, his shoulder and neck.

She lifted her eyes up to take in his clean jaw, his mouth, his cheekbones and his eyes- when she met his eyes, she was surprised that they met her back.

Those pretty, less emotionless, grey eyes-

Wait, he was looking back at her!

Ella shook her head and blinked a couple of times with her eyes. She looked away from him, but she could still feel his eyes linger on her. She felt uncomfortable, she needed his eyes to be somewhere else. Without realizing, she had put her hand on Blaise's leg. She was so focused on Draco that she hadn't realized that he had switched places with Pansy. In total shock she pulled her hand back and waited for his commentary.

"If you want to touch me, nobody's stopping you." He said with a big smirk on his face.

"Ehm, sorry. I didn't mean to."

Blaise moved closer to her and laid his arm upon her shoulders. He put his mouth close to her ear and she could feel his warm breath on her skin. "That's what they always say, darling." He whispered.

A clap got them both turning heads. Draco had closed his book, put the pen behind his ear and stood. Without any comment or warning, he walked away from the group.

"Is he alright?" Ella asked.

"Don't mind him, he's never been very social." Pansy explained to her. Ella nodded and carefully pushed Blaise off her. He chuckled and stood as well. He threw his backpack over his shoulder and faced all of us. "Who wants drinks before dinner?"

~

In the afternoon, the entire school had dinner together. The canteen was filled with tables and chatting students. Ella had just taken her plate and she was now waiting in line. In front of her she saw Cedric filling his plate before sitting himself down at the table with Cho and some other students she wasn't aware of existed before.

If Cho didn't terrify her as much, she would gladly sit with them. Cedric was a nice guy, they had nice conversations even though it was mostly Cedric talking and her just listening.

As she waited in line, she looked around the canteen. She had to blend in, be one with the school and its students. She couldn't hang around Theodore or the others the entire day, she needed to know people.

That was the reason why Theodore was with her all the time, right? To help her blend in. She owed him that much to give him his freedom back by not having to babysit her all the time.

She looked around if she noticed a few people from class; There was Daphne Greengrass, she was sitting with a girl which was called Tracey Davis, if she correctly remembered.

On another table where Harry and Hermione. Ella wanted to sit with them desperately, but Theodore's words and her own instinct weren't letting her.

Further in the back she saw Blaise with some other boys. She recognized three of them from their class. Vincent Grabbe, Gregory Goyle and Marcus Flint. She never really spoke to them, but she heard stories.

The others were probably boys from other classes, whom didn't catch her interest at all. But was she really going to sit with them? Was she really that lonely that she had to search for companionship with Blaise?

It was finally her turn to put food on her plate and she turned her back to the canteen. She knew that if her plate was filled, she had to decide where to sit. Daphne and Tracey would be a safe option, but she knew that she wouldn't fit in with them. The only option she could think of that could also be in her favour would be joining Cedric and Cho.

She sighed deeply and finally turned around, attempting to walk up to their table. Before she lifted her legs, she saw Harry jump up from his table. His entire sweater was wet from a drink and Crabbe and Goyle were laughing beside him. Harry jumped on top of Crabbe and started hitting him in the face. An entire chaos was started, and students started to yell and cheer. From some you heard Harry's name, and the others told Crabbe to stand up and fight him back.

The different voices of all the students overwhelmed Ella. She just stood there, just like in Slughorn's class. She wasn't doing anything, and she let the others do the work.

Harry was finally pulled off Crabbe by Hermione, but he shook her hands off his shoulders. He gave a single glance to the other boys before he walked away from them.

As he crossed Ella, she stepped forward and raised her hand. "Harry,"

"Leave me the fuck alone." He hissed and walked away.

Ella's eyes followed him out of the canteen, before they moved to Hermione who was now sitting by herself. This was her chance to meet her.

Ella sighed, tilted her nose up, straightened her back and walked to the table. She stood in front of Hermione and asked her if she could sit down. A bit surprised, Hermione pointed at the chair in front of her. Ella sat herself down and put her plate in front of her.

"Hi." Ella said rapidly.

"Hey?" Hermione wiggled her fork in her mashed potatoes.

"I'm Ella. Ella Black." Again, too rapid.

"I know, I'm in your class."

Ella struggled with her words as Hermione obviously wasn't in the mood to talk to her. "I've never had the pleasure to meet you. You're Hermione, right?"

"Hermione Granger." Hermione held out her hand and Ella frowned her brows. "Oh. Eh," she held out her hand awkwardly and shook Hermione's.

"What's wrong? Are you scared of hands?" Hermione pulled her hand back and let it rest on the table. "No, it's just - someone didn't, and I sort of thought that everyone at this school hated it. It was my own stupid judgement."

"That's crazy. Who doesn't like hands? They're a person's best weapon" Hermione's lips curled up into a smirk. Ella smiled awkwardly back and looked down at her plate.

"You're being way too awkward. You're in Hogwarts, chin up." Hermione bowed over her plate and looked into Ella's eyes.

"I know it's just-"

"It's because of Harry. I know. But you do realize that I'm not him, right?"

Ella lifted her head and this time she genuinely smiled. "It's all still crazy. This place, the students...''

"Weren't you the girl that tried to murder the minster? If anyone's crazy, it's you." Hermione leaned back into her chair and took a sip of her juice. "And you haven't even been to the Yule party, yet."

"I just heard about that. Are there people you know that are coming?" Ella started eating, now that she felt more comfortable with Hermione. Hermione raised her eyebrow and put down her juice.

"My boyfriend is coming with his family actually. They don't know about me nor this school."

"You have boyfriend! What's his name?"

"It's Ron. Maybe you'll have the pleasure to meet him too." Hermione winked and tilted her head to the side. Harry was waving at her in the door opening from the canteen and she stood. "The boss calls. I'll see you around." She let her plate rest on the table and walked away. Ella let her chin rest in the palm of her hand as she watched Hermione walk through the canteen. She disappeared with Harry, but Ella was glad she went up to talk to her.

At least she knows now that Hermione doesn't hate her, or she was good at acting like she didn't.

Ella stood, cleaned her plate and Hermione's, walked back to her dormitory and sat herself down on her bed with her laptop.

She opened a word document and titled it as The Yule Party. She had just three days to come up with a crime she wanted to have committed, a person she would need for it and how she was going to manipulate them. As she started typing, she heard a loud bang against her door.

She turned her head to the door as if she could see through it. She waited a bit before a second bang made her stand up. She opened the door and as it had moved not even an inch, it was pushed open by the outside.

The door was now entirely open, and Ella jumped backwards as a body fell right in front of her. The smack with the ground was pretty hard and the hand that slammed against the door, fell on top of her foot. Her sock and floor were covered in fresh blood and a soft groan sounded from the ground.


	7. The Marauders map

The fresh blood dripped through Ella's sock as she ran to her bathroom. She grabbed a small towel where she normally washed her face with, wetted it and ran back to the door. She kneeled and turned the body on its back.

"What happened?!" She muttered as she pushed the towel on Theodore's face. Before she could take in the wounds on the side of his lip and ear, she noticed the blood circle on the bottom of his trousers. Without warning or permission, she rolled up his trousers and uncovered the skin of his leg. His bullet wound was re-opened, and blood was dripping out heavily.

He moaned in pain and she pressed the towel onto it. "Harry happened." He said through his painful breathings.

"Harry?"

Ella stood and walked back to her bathroom. She cleaned the already dirty towel and ran back to him. "He was mad at Crabbe and Goyle and after dinner he-" When Ella pressed the wet towel on the wound he groaned.

"Sorry."

"It's ok. He attacked them with a knife, and I had to jump in. You can probably see what happened with me after." He started laughing but it changed quickly into a painful cough.

Ella put her left hand on his cheek and shushed him. "Be still." She looked back at the wound, but the bleeding didn't stop. "I'm going to move you to my bed, but I've never taken care of wounds before. Can't I get someone?"

"It's fine, just put a bandage on top of it, if you have one."

"I haven't, and you should be treated correctly." Ella stood and helped him stand up. He tried to stand on his leg but immediately collapsed. He leaned on top of her and she held him steady. His arms were around her shoulders as he held her tight, and her hands were pressed onto his hips.

She slowly moved him towards her bed and laid him down. She put her pillow straight and slowly let his head sink into it. "I'll get Draco." He nodded and she ran out of the room.

When she was at Draco and Blaise's dormitory, she started knocking on the door and pulling the handle at the same time. To her surprise, the door wasn't locked and when she pushed the handle down, the door opened. Her eyes grew bigger as she watched Draco look at her in surprise. He was standing in the middle of his room, with a book in his hands and his eyes grown as big as hers.

"You should really start locking your door." Ella said awkwardly. "People normally don't just barge in." Draco responded coolly.

"I normally wouldn't but - Theo needs you." And that was enough for Draco to put his book down and follow her back to her dormitory.

~

Ella was kneeled beside Theodore and she let her fingers glide over his forehead. She wiped his hair off his face and let her palm slide over the top of his head. Draco was working his hands on Theodore's wound and Ella followed his every step. She watched him carefully stop the bleeding, clean the wound, and bandage it up.

"Take notes if you will." Draco said with a calm voice. "Don't worry, I'm writing everything down in my mind." Ella responded.

"The mind is a tricky thing."

"It is, but I can't exactly take my notepad with me while I slay people, now can I?"

Draco's lip curled into a smile. He pressed his fingers on the bandage and then stood. "Can I use your bathroom to wash my hands?" He asked. Ella nodded and he disappeared into her bathroom. She now looked at Theodore as her fingers circled on his temple. "You should've gone to Draco in the first place." She whispered.

"And missing out on a chance of you taking care of me?" He laughed.

"I couldn't treat you properly. Draco is more advanced and he's your friend."

"So are you."

"I know, but still. You should've gone to him." Theodore lifted his hand and grabbed Ella's away from his face. He squeezed it and let their hands rest on his chest. "Thank you." He said.

"For what? I didn't do anything."

"You could've let me lay there."

"Who would even do that?"

"Everyone."

Ella's mouth opened a bit. She then closed it again and squeezed his hand back.

Draco walked back in the room and coughed to make his return aware. Ella turned around to face him and let go of Theodore's hand. "Will you help me carry him to his dorm? He can't walk."

"I will bring him. You can stay here and go to sleep." Draco looked into her eyes as he spoke. "But you could use my help he is-"

"I got it." He walked past her and lifted Theodore out of bed. Draco let hem lean onto his shoulders and carried him out of the room. Ella closed the door behind them and looked down at the ground. There was still blood on the floor which she had to clean. Also, her bed covers needed to be refreshed, so that was what she was going to do before she went to sleep.

~

Two more days. She had just two more days until the weekend and she still had nothing but an empty paper in front of her. She was sitting in the library with her laptop. She opened her browser and started typing in the search bar.

How do I manipulate people?

1: Improve your skill. If you want to manipulate anyone, you should be good at faking your emotions. You can improve this skill by acting out the scene on forehand, talk to yourself in the mirror, watch a movie and impersonate their acting or take an acting class. To appear more distressed than you're are, you must be able to sell it.

2: Follow an unreasonable request by a more reasonable one. When you want something from someone and they decline your request, you could always get them accept by changing it in a more reasonable one. When the requests sound less energetic or easy, they are more likely to do it.

3: Make an unusual request before making your real request. This simply means that if you ask someone something small. For example, when you're on the street and you need to ask a stranger to sign something, start the conversation by asking for directions. They will give you an answer and then you can ask if he also wants to sign. People are most likely to say yes to something when they've already answered you before.

4: Make. Them. Feel. Guilty. Guilt is the easiest and most used way of manipulation. When a person feels guilty about making you sad or hurt, they will most likely accept the request anyways to cheer you up.

Ella scanned her eyes over the article. There were other things explained like bribery, using your logic, and playing the victim. This all seemed more representable than popping a tit out like Pansy suggested.

She started typing more searches in the bar. She couldn't let someone kill for her or rob a bank, it would be messy and impossible to leave no tracks, especially if she wanted a normal local to do it her for. Also, would it be hard to get someone to do something like that in such a short period of time. Brainwashing someone in committing a murder could take months to years but all she had was this weekend since the assignment had to be due on Monday.

Ella read the list of crimes she could find on her browser, but it all seemed too much for her. Assault, child abuse, domestic abuse, kidnapping, rape, slavery...

She sighed and let her head fall. Stupid assignment, she wasn't ready for any of this. She didn't belong here. She didn't even know why she still was. She never wanted to be an assassin, she never thought about killing people for a living. The only reason why she was here was because of her family's background as murderers and their crimes. It was just empty luck that the day that she was summoned by Dumbledore was the exact day that she had let her fear, sadness and rage consume her.

Her fingers moved over her keyboard and other searches popped up.

\- When you look in the life of any violent individual, you're likely to see a darkened past filled with extreme moments of suffering, bullying and terror.

\- Most killers are created from trauma.

\- Serial killers born from poverty or riches, gang members explained.

\- I didn't mean to kill him, it just happened.

\- Can I kill someone due to my Schizophrenia?

\- Murderer explains his loss of empathy due to emotional damage in his past.

''Working on something?'' Ella looked up to see Cedric standing in front of her. He put his bag on the table, sat himself down next to her and looked at her screen. ''Am I a murderer? Why are you searching that?''

''Eh,'' Ella clicked away the tab and turned her head to Cedric's. ''Just some research.'' She had put a cool tone in her voice. ''Seriously? Which course?''

''Murder history, obviously.''

Cedric started to laugh. ''And what's the real reason?''

''I don't know. I just don't feel like I belong here. It's been almost two weeks and I haven't blend in, I fail for every class I have, and I don't think I'm the right person to become an assassin.''

''You killed the minster.'' Cedric narrowed his eyes. ''I didn't, Theodore did.'' Ella shook her head as she spoke. ''You know if you don't want to be here you don't have to. Just go to Dumbledore and tell him that you want to leave.''

''I can't, my father told him to bring me here. My whole family has studied at Hogwarts, it's a Black thing to do.''

''It isn't. If you don't want to be here, just go. I'm not saying that I want you to leave, because I think you're incredible and you're just struggling finding yourself. I mean, Theo told me about the envelope mission, the way you handled that was just fine.'' Cedric sighed. ''But if you really don't want to be here, you have every right to go.''

He smiled at her, petted her on her shoulder for comfort and then left. He was just picking up a book before he had to run to class, leaving Ella behind with her thoughts. He was right, she had every right to leave. If she didn't want to stay here, why was she?

~

''Come in.''

Ella pushed the door open and took in the surroundings of Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk and when she walked in, he let his pen rest on it. ''Ms. Black, what good to see you again. It's been a while.''

Ella closed the door behind him and walked up to his desk. She sat herself down on the chair in front of it, and Dumbledore watched her in surprise. ''I wanted to talk to you about something.'' She started.

''Yes?''

''I was thinking, I've been here for two weeks now and I'm really grateful for the opportunity you've given me and a home to stay but I don't think that Hogwarts is the right place for me.'' She pressed her hands on her knees and looked at her shoes.

''I know my father is a friend of yours and he wanted me on this school, but I am just not the person you think I am. I'm not like him nor my family and I don't think I'll ever be.'' Ella looked up at him. ''I want to leave.''

''Are you sure this isn't a rushed decision?'' Dumbledore asked and Ella shook her head, so he continued: ''This school normally never lets people go just like that. We can protect our students by keeping this school a secret. You must understand that normally the only reason to get out is death.''

Ella's eyes grew bigger. She started to sweat, and her legs bounced up nervously. ''But because your father is a friend of mine, I'll let you go.'' A relieved sigh escaped Ella's mouth. ''Thank you for understanding.''

''I expect your dorm empty by the evening.'' He grabbed his pen again and finished his writing without giving Ella any more attention. ''Yes, sir.'' Ella left the room and when she closed the door behind her, Dumbledore looked up. He grabbed the telephone on his desk and called someone, unknown.

''Argus, it's Albus. Can you get Harry in my office as soon as possible? - Thank you, Argus.'' He put the phone down and smiled at his writing.

''Nobody ever leaves.'' He spoke to himself.

~

Ella had pushed the last of her clothes in her suitcase and closed it. Dean walked up to her and lifted it up. "Is this the last one?" He asked.

"Yes. I think I have everything." She looked around her dormitory which was at first filled with all her personal belongings. Now, it was just an empty room. No emotions, no life. It was just a room now. "Is it weird to miss this little square after just living here for two weeks?" She looked at Dean as she spoke.

"No." He put his hand on her shoulder for a few seconds before he walked out of the room with two suitcases in his hands. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Ella grabbed her last bags and followed him out.

The car ride was long and silent. Even though she hasn't seen Dean in a while, she couldn't quite get any words out. All she wanted was to be back home, back to the big mansion she used to share with her father. The House of Black, which was now as empty as her dormitory was.

When they arrived, Dean helped her get her bags and suitcases inside before he left her alone. He asked her if she needed company for the night, but she kindly declined.

It has been just two weeks, but the house felt different. She felt like a stranger in her own home as she walked through the rooms, looking around for any sudden changes in its design.

She walked in a room her and Sirius used to avoid most of the time. She let her fingers glide over the green wall where her family tree was portrayed. Some faces were burned off, her grandmother used to wipe them out as soon as someone was murdered. She thought that when a person died by murder it was just their own stupidity that got them there. She thought of them as disappointments.

Her fingers stopped at the name Regulus Black. Her uncle, Sirius' brother. His face was burned off a couple of years ago. He was the first person that went after the best-known serial killer Tom Riddle as he didn't believe in his actions. Her grandmother hated him for it, burned his face off right away after he was eventually killed by him.

'As he should. Regulus was a fool to go after Tom.' She used to say.

They found him on the floor in his home, all there was left from tracks was Tom's mark carved in his chest. It was a reminder for any other person that tried to get to him.

Ella's family had always looked up to him, following his movements. Some even used his mark on their victims to spread his existence around. They had been followers of him for as long as she could remember.

She let her fingers move further up. Orion, Dorea, Charlus...

She narrowed her eyes and pulled up a piece of fabric from the wallpaper. "Charlus Potter." She spoke to herself. She let her hand fall and walked out of the room. She went inside Sirius' study. She hadn't been there after he was arrested, it was too painful for her to see his empty study.

She walked over to his desk and opened every drawer from it. She pulled out the papers and laid them down on the desk. She then came across the package she had seen in her dream. The memory.

She pulled it out as well and opened it. She jumped back and started coughing in a disgusted way. She held her arm in front of her mouth and nose to keep out the disgusting smell from the box. She bowed back over it and saw a cut off finger rotting inside of it.

With disgust formed in her face, she closed the package and put it on the other side of the desk. She grabbed the paper that was sticked on top of it and started reading it. Again, it started with Dear Padfoot,

I'm certain you remember this piece of art, it shocked him. Next time make sure that your victim is not any of us. Because this finger is just from an ordinary person but next time... It will be your daughter's.   
\- Antonin Dolohov

Ella put the letter away and looked through the other papers. She needed to know who Padfoot was and why Sirius kept this package and letter.

She walked away from the desk and looked around. She went to the bookshelf and pulled out every book to see if any of them was hiding something. Knowing her father, hiding stuff was his greatest skill.

When she couldn't find anything, she started looking around in other closets, drawers, corners and underneath the desk. She jumped on every inch of the floor to hear a crack somewhere. She then started to look behind the paintings, pulling them off one by one and turning them around to see if there was anything behind them.

Disappointed, she let herself fall down in his chair. She rotated it as she stared at the ceiling. When she stopped, she looked over the desk if she missed anything. Her eyes fell on the small frame with a picture of her and Sirius. She lifted the frame up and turned it around. She pulled the back off and a piece of parchment fell on the ground.

Gotcha.

She lifted it up and unfolded it. On top of the parchment was written; Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present: The Marauders map.

She turned the paper around, but it was empty. What was the meaning of this? She put the parchment on the desk and crossed her arms. Her father must've put that in there for her to find. Why else would he hide something like that in his study? She was the one that was supposed to know how to decode this.

But what did she share with her father that only she knew?

She looked at the papers again. Most of them were just from his work or old bills. As she went through every paper, she finally came across an article about Lily and James' Potter's deaths. There was a picture of their home on fire. She read the article over and over but there wasn't anything that could help her. Yet, she knew that this was what she needed to decode the parchment.

Sirius never had any of those articles around. He didn't want her to read it and think bad about him. But this one, this one he kept. This one wasn't even talking about him; it was talking about the fire of their home.

She let her eyes linger on the picture they had put into it. She saw the flames getting to live, and she felt the warmth of it burn against her skin.

She jumped up with the article still in her hands. She ran out of the study, back into the room she was in before. She looked at the wall of her family tree and she put the article down on the couch behind her.

She let her fingers search around the burned off faces before she grabbed a chair and pushed it close against the wall. She stood herself steady on top of it and started plucked the wallpaper from the wall. When it was loosened, she jumped of the chair and took the entire wallpaper along with her. When finally, it was entirely off, she stepped back to look at the sight in front of her.

THE MARAUDERS MAP  
A guidance to kill Tom Riddle.


	8. The Yule party part 1

"Oh my god." Ella let her eyes wander along the wall. The entire wall looked like the boards the FBI uses to find a killer. There were pictures and lines everywhere, written descriptions, actions, and names of Tom's followers.

Sirius was working on finding a way to kill him. She let her eyes scan the words on top again. 'The Marauders.' Who were they? And how were they related to her father?

For now, she couldn't do much. She decided to hang up the wallpaper again and leave for bed. She was tired and she needed rest.

~

The following day she was early woken and already dressed. She decided to take a walk along the neighbourhood.

When she was back home, she decided to relax and read a book. She searched through the bookshelves if she could find a book she liked. She didn't want to read something new. She wanted something comfortable and relaxing.

She ended up with a book about fairies, one she used to love when she was little. She had set herself down in the living room with a cup of Camille tea and a blanket over her legs.

For her surprise when she finished the book it was already later in the evening. She decided to order a takeout that day, she didn't feel like making herself an entire meal at the stove her father used to cook her everything she wanted. It still took a big toll on her. Even though he was still alive, she was alone in this mansion. It was a big house that was lonely really fast. Being a Black had so its benefits: They were rich.

Sirius never raised her as a rich kid, but God, they were.

After her dinner had come and she had eaten, she went back to the room to see if there was anything for her to decode. She decided to start with the names.

Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.

Pretty quickly she noticed that every name was related to an animal. Wormtail had to be an animal with a long or average, skinny and hairless tail. The first animals she came across were a mouse, a rat, and a squirrel. A squirrel did get hair on their tail when they grew up so she could cross that one off her list. It was either a mouse or a rat but for the moment she didn't really think that the difference made a huge impact on it overall.

She moved on to Padfoot, which animal had pads on their feet?

There were a lot, honestly. Dogs, foxes, cats and cat related animals like tigers and lions, bears, racoons and the list was not even done after that. Padfoot was a bit more difficult to decode than Wormtail was.

She moved over to Prongs. Prongs was simply another word for antlers. So, she realised quickly that Prongs was indicated from a stag. It was the simplest one, and the most known.

When she reached Moony it seemed harder at first than it was right now. Every other name was related with an animal, so this one had to be too. And which animal was related by the moon?

A werewolf.

Ella read down her list. She had a mouse or a rat, a stag, a werewolf, and some sort of animal with pads on their feet. Much wiser didn't she exactly get by it.

It was enough brainstorming for her for one day. She went back to her bedroom and curled herself up underneath her blankets. Tomorrow she would try again.

~

When she woke up the next morning, she decided to drive herself to Dean after her breakfast. She zipped herself up in a dark pair of loose pants and pulled a darker brown sweater on top. She did her hair in a half-up-half-down hairstyle and walked down to the entrance hall.

She grabbed her carneys off the countertop, jumped outside and locked the door behind her before she sat herself down in her car.

Within a few minutes she was already at Dean's house, stepped out of her car and made her way to his doorbell. She pressed her finger in and a peaceful melody sounded inside the house. After a minute the door was swept open and Mrs. Thomas stood in front of her.

''Ella! What a nice surprise.'' The woman let her in, and Ella followed her to the backyard where Dean was eating his breakfast still.

''Your bestie has arrived.'' She bowed before she sat herself in front of Dean. ''Ella, can I get you something to drink?'' Mrs. Thomas ask her. ''No, thank you.''

The woman sat herself down at the table next to Dean and continued drinking her tea. She watched her pull out her phone and start herself a new game of Home Escapes.

''Mrs. Thomas?'' Ella asked. The woman looked up and gave her the approval to ask her question. ''You grew up with my dad, do you by any chance now anything about a group of animals he was obsessed with? Maybe a book series, or a movie?''

''Oh, darling. You're asking me something there.'' She laid her phone down on the table and started thinking. ''Your father and I weren't really friends. We knew each other but, that was it. I know he used to have a dog; I think it was a German Shepperd. Does that help?''

''Actually, it does, thank you.'' Ella looked from the woman to Dean. Padfoot must be a dog then, it's the only lead that made sense for now.

After a while, Mrs. Thomas had left them alone and Ella started filling Dean in on her new discovery.

''The Marauders map? That's a weird name. What does Marauder mean?'' Dean asked while he himself was also thinking about possible answers. ''It's a raid, so they are a group of raiders, I think.''

''That explains the detailed map on how to kill someone. I mean if it's in your house it would explain it. Your entire family is a follower of this man and your father must be the only one to stand up to them.''

''Probably but, what does those names stand for?''

''You said that your father got a package from someone stating Padfoot. What if Padfoot is him?''

''I can't say that the thought of that never crossed my mind. It would make sense, especially now that I know that it stands for a dog and he had one growing up. The others probably are friends of him from school.''

''Do you know any of his friends?'' Dean asked and Ella shook her head. ''I think Dumbledore might know who they were. I could ask him, maybe he would give me their names or addresses...''

''Hold on, you're not really going to execute his plan, right?'' Dean bowed over the table and looked at her with a serious tone in his voice and his eyes glued onto hers.

''Why not? He left riddles to find that map in ways only I could unravel. I must do it, for him.''

''You're insane, you came back here because you knew you weren't a murderer, Ella. Killing this man would only be the total opposite of your reason!''

''It's my father we're talking about. I'm not letting him down.'' Ella leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. ''You're a borderline, you know that, right?'' Dean mumbled.

''Don't be mean, Dean. If it was your mother, you would've done the exact same thing.''

''My mother wouldn't want to murder someone.''

Their eyes locked fiercly. They never much disagreed with each other, but this seemed to be a burning point for either of them. As Ella opened her mouth to speak, Mrs. Thomas ran outside. She had her phone in her right hand and her left hand was on the speaker. ''Ella,''

Ella and Dean looked up to her. The woman was in total shock. Something was going on and it wasn't good. ''It's the police, there is a fire at your house.''

~

Everything went in total slow motion. How Ella ran out of her car, how the bright flames caught her eyes, how Dean had pulled her back as tears rolled over her cheeks. Her childhood home was entirely on fire.

Different fireman were trying to extinguish the fire but it all went to slow for her. She pushed herself free from Dean and ran to the house. As Dean tried to run after her, his mother grabbed his arm.

''Mom, what the hell?''

''You can't run into a fire!''

''Ella can't either.'' Dean pulled his arm out of her grip and ran after Ella.

Multiple man shouted to her as Ella ran into the backyard. She swept the door open and stepped inside. Multiple flames were surrounding her, and she couldn't step any further. Her heart was aching. All her personal belonging, her fathers, her memories... All gone.

She felt two arms surrounding her body and pulling her out of the door opening. She didn't fight it. When her feet were back on the outside surface, the hands didn't let go of her. They comforted her as she watched the flames grow bigger and bigger.

Everything got consumed by it and she watched it all happen. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were swollen and filled with tears. She then noticed a small rustle from just outside her backyard. She pulled herself out of Dean's arms and ran through her backyard. The rustles continued and she walked around the hedge.

When she was in her neighbours' yard, she saw someone stumbling across it. She recognised him immediately and ran up to him. With much force, she pushed him against his back. He fell forwards on the ground while letting out a loud groan. She watched him crawling further, so she grabbed his jacket and turned him around.

On the ground was Harry, all messed up.

Ella's tears started drying up as her face was now boiling in anger. ''What the fuck?'' She jumped down and bowed over him. Before she knew it, her fist had found its way to his face. She started hitting him multiple times until her hands were tired. Her emotions were overwhelming her, and she started to cry again.

''You bastard!'' She screamed as she was pulled from Harry by Dean. ''How could you? I never done anything else than trying to be there for you!'' Her entire body was shaking out of anger. Harry turned his head to the side and spit blood on the ground.

''Say something!'' She screamed.

''You never tried anything.'' Harry said. In total disbelief of his words she tried to jump him again, but Dean didn't let her. ''How dare you! I've written letters, tried to talk to you on my first day of school, tried to reassure you when you got bullied by Crabbe and Goyle...''

''How good of you, Ella! Let me stand up so I can properly clap for you.'' His head was now turned to hers.

''Your father killed my parents. My parents! Did you really think that with a letter or sending me money I would get over that? It messed me up!'' He finally pushed himself up and wiped the dirt off his pants. When Dean noticed that Ella was calmed down, he let go of her. She didn't move an inch though, and neither did Harry.

''But that wasn't me, Harry.'' Ella said softly. ''I know that, but you can't dilate me for projecting his face in yours.''

~

When the fire was blushed and the fireman and disaster tourists were gone, Ella was back in her halfway burned down home. The fireman had saved a lot, but all the small properties were gone to ashes. She walked through the halls and rooms to see all her childhood memories gone.

Harry and Dean were walking behind her in silence. Dean had his eyes on the boy, as he didn't trust him at all. It seemed he was more hurt by his doings than Ella was. She was hurt, broken by the loss of her stuff but she didn't blame Harry as much as she should.

Harry was struggling to walk; his leg was hurt. He got caught in his own made flames before he got out. His face was swollen by Ella's beating and his face was still dirtied with dried up blood.

''Most of it can still be prepared. It will be back in its original state when it's done.'' She said with a voice she didn't recognise herself. ''We shouldn't be in here too long; the smoke will be bad for our lungs. You can crash with me.'' Dean told her.

''Just a bit longer.'' She walked into the room where the Marauders map was hidden. The family tree was burned, but some of it was still visible. She let her eyes scan over the halfway burned faces of people that were either loved or still alive.

She let her fingers find their way underneath the wallpaper and by just a glimpse she noticed that the wall underneath was still intact. She felt Harry's presence next to her, she put the wallpaper back and she started to talk.

''Do you see this man?'' She pointed her finger at the face that was almost not recognisable as Charlus'. ''That's Charlus Potter. He married my ancestor Dorea Black.'' She let her head hang over her shoulder. ''We're family.''

Harry let his eyes linger on the wallpaper. ''I never knew my family background.'' He said softly.

''I just found out a couple of days ago. It probably explains our tempers.''

Harry's lip curled up, but it didn't make a sound. ''I didn't come here by myself; you know.'' He looked back at her. ''Dumbledore had send me to kill you. I just – I didn't have a choice.''

''Dumbledore? But he let me go! He told me that I could leave.'' Ella spoke in full disbelief. ''Yeah well, that's Dumbledore for you.'' Harry said. ''I need to go back.'' Ella said determined.

''Ella, seriously? Haven't you heard a thing what Harry have said? The man wants you dead, and you still want to go back to his school? You should run!''

''If she runs, he will only send more men after her. Believe me, going back might be her best option.'' Harry faces Dean. ''Her best option? It's a school filled with murders.'' Ella moved away behind Harry and stepped forward to Dean.

''You're someone to judge? You were the one that designed a bomb for me to blow the minister up with!''

''Yeah, I made it! I make things because I'm smart and I want to see what lengths I can go through. But I would never have planted that thing under somebody's car. I would have never pushed the button.'' Dean held his hand against his chest as he tried to defend himself.

''Giving someone a weapon to kill anyone else with is just as bad as committing the actual murder, Dean! If not worse.''

''Fine. If you want to go back to that stupid school of yours to a headmaster that wants to kill you and with a boy that actually tried to kill you just an hour ago, be my guest. Just leave me out of it.'' His voice was filled with dark rage.

''Fine.'' Their eyes were burned onto each other before Dean turned around and left the room, and the house. Ella sighed and turned back around to face Harry. ''Are you sure about this?'' He asked and Ella nodded. ''There is something else I have to find out and I'm pretty that the answer is within Hogwarts. Just tell me how to get in without getting killed on sight.''

Ella's eyes were determined, and Harry knew there was no way to keep her here. So, he simply nodded.

~

It was Saturday afternoon and Harry was waiting in the living room with Hermione. She had come to the House of Black that morning with supplies for Ella. That evening was the Yule ball, Ella would be there as a local. Harry would come later, that was the plan. She was supposed to find Dumbledore and ask him if she could return. She needed to prove herself to him, she was sure of that.

Harry would come in later and tell him that he couldn't find Ella. That way the both of them would be cleared.

Ella was now standing in her bedroom. The walls were still black from the fire and her bed was not sleep able anymore. She looked around the room to see all her belongings gone. The ashes of her drawings, books and clothes were everywhere.

She was now standing in front of a mirror she had just cleaned the ash off. She was looking at herself, her hair was curled and hang along her face. Her lashes were curled, and Hermione had given her a smokey eye with black and emerald green eyeshadow. Her lips were nude colored, and a little blush was applied on her cheeks.

She looked down her body, she wore a tight dark green dress with the straps falling over her shoulders. The dress had a low flattering cut and she showed more of her cleavage than she normally would. It fell just above her knees and on the side was a high cut. It wasn't too much, as she didn't expect it to be a ball. But she sure as hell didn't look underdressed.

She took a few deep breaths and put her silver earrings in. When she was satisfied with her look, she walked downstairs to meet Harry and Hermione. They were silently waiting for her arrival, but when she walked in, she saw yet another face staring at her.

Her mouth formed a smile as she looked in the eyes of Dean. ''Wow.'' He muttered by her appearance. ''You're back.'' Ella said softly. ''I couldn't exactly let you go alone now, could I?''

''You look stunning.'' Hermione walked up to her and fixed a few pieces of Ella's hair before she let her leave with Dean. ''Harry?'' Ella asked before she walked out. Harry looked up to her by surprise.

''Will you come to my dorm tonight? When everything is over?''

''Of course.''

Ella smiled at him and now she finally left with Dean.

~

''Are you ready?'' His question got her out of her trance and Ella hadn't realized she was holding her breath. ''Yes.'' She said absently. She turned her head over her shoulder to Dean and said: ''Thank you for coming with me.'' He nodded and they stepped out.

The cold breeze of the outside world felt different on her skin. The world around her felt for a moment more toxic than it used to be. She knew that the second she stepped a foot inside the school she had to leave behind all her doubts and insecurities. She felt Dean's hand glide over her shoulder as he stepped in front of her. When she wanted to follow him, her shoulder bumped into someone else's. She looked abruptly to her side and apologized in a hurry.

''I'm so sorry.'' The guy held up his hands in fear and it caught Ella off guard. She took in his appearance. Average height, messy orange hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. She wasn't sure whether this was just his normal behavior that he was actually scared of her. She smiled a bit surprised before she told him not to worry. ''I bumped into you, don't worry about it.''

She looked behind him to find an entire army of ginger kids and their parents. Her eyes grew big as she saw the two giants of boys stand behind him, a little girl which also seemed as the youngest sibling, and in the back where even 3 other boys laughing and chatting with one another.

''Oh my god, did your father not know how to pull out?'' Which was supposed to be an inside thought, was popped out. When she heard the boy in front of her laugh, she realized what she had said. ''I – sorry that was rude I didn't mean to say that out loud!'' She tried to save herself.

''It's fine, sometimes I'm thinking the same thing.'' She smiled back at him and when she saw his parents walk closer, she wanted to walk away. ''Well, it was nice meeting you but I really should go inside.'' He nodded and Ella now followed Dean inside the building.

The inside of Hogwarts was decorated with multiple lights and some flowers on counters in the hall. As soon as Ella had stepped a foot inside, her wall was back up and she wasn't going to let it down again, not even for another ginger sibling.

Dean opened the big doors of the great hall and as they swept open, the hundreds of people were visible. Dean stepped inside the room effortlessly and took her hand to guide her in as well. Ella looked around if she could see Dumbledore anywhere but there was no luck yet.

Her dress suddenly seemed too tight as she silently stood next to Dean. Her face slowly moved onto his neck. ''We have to blend in.'' She whispered to him. He nodded and started walking. Dean was never really shy, so talking to any stranger in this room didn't seem to be a problem to him.

Within a few seconds he had found their first target which he was now instantly chatting with. As Ella stood behind him, she let her eyes scan through the room. It was mostly filled with locals as she didn't see any of her former classmates. She walked around Dean to get a better sight of the other side of the room.

Her eyes then caught on a black suit in front of her. Her eyes moved up to witness his platinum blonde hair in a better shape she had ever seen him wear. Normally it would be messy and not put as much effort in as it was now. He had his locks styled to the side just above his eyes. His jaw seemed sharper with this style; the line of his hair ends was just in sync with the outlining of his face.

She felt her dress get even more tighter when she noticed him straightening his suit. His ring blinked in the light of the lamp above him and the veins on the top of his hand were still visible even though he was on the other side of the room.

For a second, she was sure she saw him smile at the person he was talking to. He seemed more in his element, as if this was his only form and there was no way that he'd ever be in joggers and a loose t-shirt as she had seen him in before.

Ella felt her stomach flutter and her hands were sweaty. Something about how Draco was standing in front of her right now, calmed her. She felt her body warm up and the music from the room slowly faded away. The people seemed to blur and now it was just her and him standing. Him, in his perfectly fitted black suit...

A rough arm pull got her out of her moment, and she was now looking in the eyes of Theodore Nott.


	9. The Yule party part 2

Still a bit in trance, she saw his mouth open and close multiple times, but there was no sound coming through to her. She blinked her eyes and the sound of the music was loud again as were the voices of the people around her. She looked to her left and right before she looked up to Theodore and fully understood his words.

''What the hell Black?'' His voice was filled with rage, but his eyes told a different story. ''What?'' She asked.

''When were you going to tell me that you were leaving?''

Ella blinked her eyes multiple times as she didn't expect this outburst of him. ''I – I didn't think about that. I didn't think you'd care.'' She looked up at him and Theodore bit the inside of his cheek. ''That's a stupid excuse.''

''It's not an excuse, Theo. It's the truth. If I knew you'd care about me leaving I'd have stopped by.''

''And it's always you thinking and never asking, isn't it?''

''Excuse me?''

He finally let go of her arms and lifted his head back to regain control over his emotions. He moved his head to the left and right to get a crack by both sides in his neck. Ella's brows were frowned as he looked back to her. ''Nothing. Enjoy your evening.'' He raised his brows as he said the last sentence.

''Actually,'' Ella now grabbed his arm and he looked down at her hand on his sleeve. ''I want to come back. I need to come back. Have you seen Dumbledore?''

Theodore grabbed her finger and lifted her hand off his arm. ''He's over there.'' He pointed his head behind her, and Ella turned around to look. ''Thank you – '' She said but Theodore had already walked off.

As much as she wanted to walk after him, tonight was not the night. She needed to see Dumbledore and she couldn't use any distractions. She walked to his direction in a slow pass. She tilted her head up as a waiter held a tray with white wine. Ella effortlessly grabbed a glass and walked further to Dumbledore.

''Sir,'' Ella started as she walked up to him, raising her glass as greeting. Dumbledore seemed shocked by the flesh and blood in front of him. ''Ella. I didn't expect to see you back this soon.''

''Yeah, well. When I was back home, I realized how much this school means to me. I belong here. I came to talk to you if you would have me again.'' Dumbledore responded with the scariest smile. ''Of course. I promised your father I would take good care of you.''

Ella looked him in his eyes. She felt her anger boil up, but she was able to push it back. No emotions, not now. ''Thank you, sir, I won't let you down again.'' She turned around, ready to walk away. This went too easy,

''Ella,'' Ella stiffened. ''you will have to prove yourself this time. You've had your start; you've had your time off. It's time to get into character now.''

Ella opened her mouth and silently breathed out, and in. ''Of course, sir.'' She said with her back still facing him. Her lips curled in a smile and she walked away from him.

Dumbledore watched her walk away and his eyebrows frowned.

~

Ella watched Dean talk with one of her classmates. She didn't want to step in just yet, she needed a few more minutes alone with her third glass of wine before she stepped in. She had been standing alone for a while now. Mostly she was thinking about how she could prove herself worthy. She had to train harder, that was for sure. The second this party was over she would get out of this dress, in some sportswear she could lean from Hermione, and started training right away.

She looked around all the dancing and chatting people. When she heard there was going to be a party at Hogwarts, she thought it would messier. She thought there would be wasted people on the floor, girls flashing out their tits, boys throwing off their shirt within the first hour already. Yet, everyone was behaving themselves. Even Draco Malfoy had shown up in a suit.

She took another sip of her wine and someone came standing in front of her, blocking her sight. ''You seem bored.'' The boy from before smiled awkwardly in front of her. ''I am.'' Ella responded.

''Well, you're the only one besides my family that I sort of know on this party, so I thought; why not say hello.'' He pointed out his left hand as his right was still in his pocket. Ella grabbed his hand absently and shook it back. ''I'm Ron Weasley.''

''Ella Black."

''Oh my God, you're the girl whose father is in prison for the murder of Harry's parents.''

''Yep.'' Ella took another sip of her wine which emptied it. The waiter walked past them, and she replaced her empty glass with two new ones. She gave one to Ron and he thanked her for it. ''It must suck, walking around with a reputation caused by your father.'' He said before he took his first sip and drew a disgusted face.

Ella giggled with her lips on her glass. ''I'm not too bothered by it.''

''I'm glad you aren't. But I'm not surprised, everyone on this school just loves those images.''

''Wait, do you...''

''My girlfriend goes to this school. I know everything. But don't worry, your secret is safe with me.''

The dots finally connected in her mind, "Your girlfriend? Wait, Hermione?" she remembered Hermione telling her that her boyfriend's name was Ron. This couldn't be a coincidence.

"Yeah, do you know her?"

Ella licked her teeth, "kind off." He winked at her and took another sip. Ella narrowed her brows in surprise. ''I thought you hated wine.''

''I do. But I'm too sober to be here.'' He smiled and raised his glass at Ella. She raised hers as well and pushed the glass against his. There was a small tinkle of the glass touching each other, before they both took another sip.

''I was really hoping that this party was a party. They let me down on this one.'' Ella said as she looked around.

''Just wait. When all the locals are gone, shit's about to go down.''

''I'm keeping you on that one.'' Ron giggled at her responds and Ella noticed Theodore walking on her left. She let her eyes linger over his body and face. Theodore's appearance had always been innocent and caring. She wasn't sure whether it was of the alcohol, or the fact that he told her that he cared.

In any way, she couldn't keep looking. He was going to be a distraction and she told herself not tonight. Before her eyes could stare any longer and she would notice all the small things that she could adore, she pushed her glass in Ron's hands. ''I'll see you later, alright? Just hit me up when the actual party starts.''

''How am I supposed to hit you up?''

''Right, give me your phone.'' As she held up her hands, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. She grabbed it over and put her phone number in. ''I just realized how you are the first one to get my number on this school. Not even my friends ever asked about it.'' She gave the phone back and looked up to him.

''I have a gift.'' Ron said. She rolled her eyes and walked away from him.

Within a few minutes she was in the room where Madam Hooch normally teaches her class. The party just wasn't her scene. She was pretty sure that the alcohol as well didn't help her out tonight.

She pulled her suddenly way too short dress down and looked around the room for any weapons she could grab. She stood in front of a wall where some swords and knifes were hanging. She let her finger slide over a samurai sword she admired. Could she?

She tilted the sword out of its holder and held it in front of her. She turned to her left where a mirror was sticked onto the wall. She looked at herself as she held the sword in front of her.

It was almost longer than she was, but she could bare its weight. She let the sword cut through the air in front of her. She'd seen Cho work her swords effortlessly. She caught up on a few tricks she wanted to try herself. She slowly let the sword circle on her left before she moved it to her right with a bow. Making it move as effortlessly as Cho could was a bit harder than she thought. It didn't seem as fluent as Cho's movements. When Ella did it, it seemed rough.

She now grabbed the sword with both her hands and held it in front of her. She lifted it up next to her head and with a swing she turned to the right and cut into the air in front of her.

The metal touched the floor and she breathed heavenly by the shock of the noise it had made. Her dress crawled back up and annoyed she pulled it back down. Maybe a sword wasn't the right weapon for her to use in a dress.

She thought about Cho. She would for sure be able to pull this off in a short dress.

Ella put the sword back in its holder and let her fingers search over the other weapons. Her fingertips stopped by two Sais. She loved those, they seemed professional and easy. She grabbed them and turned back to the mirror. She let the handles roll over her index fingers and for her surprise, she was able to hold them.

Which reminded her of her first lesson in this room. She couldn't rotate the knife within her fingers, this could be the right opportunity to try.

When she put the Sais back, she grabbed an average looking knife and held its blade between her index and middle finger. Just like it was the first time, her thumb was on its handle.

She pushed the knife up and down but again, it fell. She sighed and bowed down to grab it. Again. She pushed the knife up, down, it fell.

Again.

Up, down... It fell again.

Annoyed she grabbed the knife another time from the floor. The anger inside of her started growing, probably an effect of the alcohol. Yet, she didn't feel like giving up. Nobody ever got it in the first try, right?

She held the blade between her fingers, pushed it up with her thumb, pushed it down through her middle finger and ring finger, but it fell again.

Now fully filled with anger she kicked the knife away from her.

"You're holding it wrong."

Ella looked to her left to see Draco standing in the door opening. He was leaning against the door with his jacket thrown over his shoulder. His arms were crossed, and his eyes were pointed at her.

"I'm not even surprised." Ella responded. She walked to the knife and grabbed it off the ground again. Draco pushed himself off the door and walked into the room.

Without a warning, he grabbed the knife from her hands and put it between his thumb and index finger. "From here you spin it clockwise." With his thumb and index finger he rotated the knife to the right and back as indication for her.

He suddenly started spinning it fast through his fingers. Ella's eyes grew bigger and looked at his face as she was in total surprise of how good he was at doing that.

He then stopped the spinning and put the knife back in its holder on the wall. Without any information of what he was doing, he walked to a small closet in the corner, opened a drawer and took out a pencil.

When he was back next to Ella, he reached out his arm and held open the palm of his hand with the pencil laying on top of it.

"What do I need to do with that?" Ella asked.

"Train."

She grabbed the pencil and held it between her thumb and index finger. She wiggled it between her fingers and looked at Draco for any direction. Her face expression asked him; 'What now?'

"It goes over the middle finger, under the middle finger, over the ring finger, under the ring finger, and then when it's stuck between your ring finger and pinkie you spin it back." He said as he pointed his finger to hers.

Ella focused her eyes on her fingers as she spined the pencil through her fingers. The pencil got stuck by her pinkie, and with a struggle she pushed her pink underneath it.

"When that happens try to let the pencil slide downwards, that way it will be easier to get behind your pinkie." He put his hand on hers and moved the pencil downwards between her pinkie and ring finger. Ella felt her skin burn up and she felt the alcohol in her system move through her veins. His touch was sudden, and she could still feel it after his hand was already off hers.

Ella blinked and tried it again. She held the pencil in the middle and spined it through her fingers. Over, under, over, under, over, back. Within a few tried she was already able to do it without making any mistakes.

"Try it faster."

She looked up at Draco as if he asked her something horrific. There was no time for her to already celebrate her small victory, knowing that after a pencil she would also have to do this with a real knife. She inhaled and looked back at her fingers. She placed the pencil back between her index finger and thumb, started spinning it faster but now she just forgot to use multiple fingers. The pencil stopped spinning as it crashed against her ring finger.

"And that's why we didn't use a knife." Draco said coolly.

Ella ignored his comment and kept trying to spin the pencil between her fingers. She felt his eyes burn onto her hand and as she got nervous, the pencil got again stuck against her ring finger. "You know, staring at my failure isn't exactly making it go better."

"Ah, so my staring is the reason?"

"Partly, yes."

"It's impossible to get it the first time. You should just try it a couple more times and when you're ready you can try the knife."

"Thanks. I'll probably try again when I'm not being stared at and silently judged."

His lip curled up. "Shouldn't you be getting ready instead of training, anyways?"

Ella stopped spinning the pencil, "Getting ready? For what?"

"The afterparty. I was on my way to my dorm until I saw you struggle here."

"I don't have any other clothes."

Draco frowned his brows. "My house got burned down with all my clothes in it. This dress is actually Hermione's."

"Why don't you ask Pansy for clothes?" He crossed his arms as he asked the question. "Her clothes don't fit me. She already wears them a size too small and that's two times smaller than mine." And also, they weren't exactly besties yet, but she decided to keep that as an inside thought.

"Come on." Without questioning, Ella followed Draco back to his dorm.

~

"I look ridiculous."

Draco tilted his head up from his book as Ella walked out of the bathroom. She was in his black sweatpants and a loose black t-shirt. "Yes." Was the only word he let out before his face was back on the papers.

In total disbelief she let out a sigh. Draco had also changed out of his suit and he was back in his normal clothing. A dark green shirt with long sleeves, a silver necklace with a little cross hanging off of it, black jeans and black boots.

Draco turned the page, "You'll be thanking me for the outfit within the hour."

Ella pulled her elastic from her wrist and rolled her shirt up until just above her sweatpants. There was a small line of bare skin to see but it almost wasn't noticeable. She pulled her elastic over the remaining fabric of the shirt and hid the not underneath it. She looked up to see Draco's eyes stare at her over his book. "What? I felt like a sack of potatoes."

Draco closed his book, stood, and shoved the book under his pillow. Ella's phone started to buzz, and she pulled it from Blaise's bed where she had laid it before changing. She saw Ron's name pop up, but the message was horrible typed. Gosh, how much did that kid drink when she was away?

"It has started," she looked up to see Draco already standing by the door. He had his head hang to the back and waited for her to follow him out.

When they were walking through the corridors of Hogwarts, multiple students ran along them. Ella got pushed against Draco multiple times, but he didn't seem bothered by it. "How come you get the cool clothes and I get this?" Ella asked to ignore the sudden touch of her shoulder against his arm. Draco put his hands in his front pockets. "You rather want my jeans?"

"No. Certainly not."

"I'm sorry princess. I don't exactly have girl clothes in my closet just in case."

Ella sighed, "You should." He tilted his head to her and she continued, "you know, for if someone like me gets their house burned down and then have to go to a party and the anti-social bookworm has to help her out."

Draco tilted his head back to his previous state and Ella faced to other way to hide her smile.

They finally entered the great hall again but this time all the locals were gone. The room was filled with students and all the suits and nice dresses were off. They were yelling and cheering on the music. There were girls grinding on their classmates and alcohol was poured literally everywhere. Ella exhaled with a smile as she took in all the dancing teenagers and already wet bodies. This, this was party.


	10. Symbolic death

By the looks of everyone throwing their arms and legs in the air, she could understand why staying in her tight short dress wasn't a good idea. The students on Hogwarts didn't take a party lightly, at least not an afterparty.

Before she could fully identify some of her classmates, a few girls had their eyes pinned on her. She looked to her side where Draco was standing. For a moment she felt powerful, standing next to him. She felt wrong for it.

She turned her head back to the crowd and as Ella was still taking in all the dancing bodies in front of her, she felt Draco's presence moving past her. She followed his direction with her eyes and followed him a couple of seconds later.

He walked up to their group and Ella immediately locked eyes with Theodore. He seemed different. He was dancing with his face up to the ceiling and his hairline was already wet from his sweat.

Before she could greet him, Blaise had already thrown his arm around her shoulders. "Look whose back! Couldn't last two days without us, could you?" He chuckled and Ella slowly pulled his arm off her shoulders.

"Two days without Blaise Zabini? Who could ever live through such a horror?''

Blaise laughed and reclaimed his seat next to Pansy. "I began to worry that I had to tame these guys by myself again." She said.

"As if you could ever tame me, Pans." Blaise said as he pushed his face in her neck.

"Oh please, you're like a puppy." She turned her face close to his. "You'll do anything for a treat." She smiled and pushed him roughly back by his neck.

"Ouch, Pans." He fake sobbed.

Theodore now finally turned his face to Ella's and he immediately scanned her clothes. The happy smile on his face faded and he sat himself down next to Blaise without any greeting or snarky comment. He grabbed the bottle of vodka and poured it in his glass. Ella couldn't place his emotions. She knew he had a temper, she realized that when he had to drag her out of her dormitory the other night Dumbledore had ordered them to bring the envelope to his brother.

The way he had spoken to her was different than the day before that. At first, she thought he would've been like that all the time. Spitting disrespect on her as a person as well a woman. But all the days after that, he was nothing but respectful and sweet.

"Take some, Ella!" Pansy said, not noticing the tension between the two. Ella was glad she didn't notice. She herself wasn't even fully aware of his sudden disinterest in her. She was back, wasn't she? He had no reason to give her the cold shoulder like this, and for what? Because she didn't give him a goodbye?

She sat herself down next to Theodore but the second her body touched the chair, Theodore stood. He grabbed the bottle of vodka and walked to the other side of the corner they were sitting in, steading himself next to Draco who unbothered poured himself a drink.

"Don't be mean Theo, give the girl some." Pansy ordered. He looked at her for a while before he walked back, his eyes were low and swollen. She was certain that alcohol wasn't the only toxin flowing through his system. Theodore grabbed Ella's glass, wildly poured in the vodka while spilling most of in on the floor and giving the wet glass back to her.

"You're welcome." He said before he took a sip out of the bottle. He struggled a bit as he steadied himself on his hurted leg. Ella's eyes moved down to it and she saw his leg shaking. He was leaning on it too much as she clocked the liquid down his throat.

"Don't be a bad drunk, Nott." Draco said without giving him a glance. "I'm not a bad drunk. I poured her drink, didn't I? I'm a gentle drunk." Theodore explained.

Ella tried to reassure him, "It's fine,"

Pansy turned her face to Ella as she took a sip of her drink. "How was it back home?" Ella moved her eyes up. "It was good. Refreshing." "Until her house got burned down and she started blaming me for not having back-up clothes for her." Ella faced Draco and licked the underneath of her top teeth as a smile formed on her face. Just when she thought she silenced him on their way here.

"Damn El, I see you're not a wifey after all." Blaise chuckled. Ella frowned her brows, "I had nothing to do with it you dumbass. Harry did it while he tried to kill me." The words came out like a joke, she tried to laugh it off.

A bang.

All faces now turned to Theodore and the broken bottle on the floor. He stood there staring at Ella with his hand still up in the air. The bottle was broken in a million of pieces over the ground. His eyes were locked on hers for a couple of seconds before Draco had put his hand on his chest and turned him around. "Alright, Nott. Let's cool off."

Ella's chest moved up and down because of her heavy breathing. She watched Draco drag Theodore out of the room and she could only imagine the conversation they were about to have.

"These boys really need a tampon." Pansy giggled and took another sip. Blaise, after ignoring the entire scene, leaned his arms on his knees and rotated his glass in his palm. "This is a party girls. Let's get fucking wasted."

~

After a few drinks all three of them were less stiff and Pansy had pulled Ella on the dance floor. She was more friendly with a couple of drinks inside of her, but Ella didn't mind. She was going trough the exact same vibe.

She raised her arms in the air and twirled around on the beat of the music. Her hair swept in her face and she closed her eyes to avoid the pain of getting any in. The beat seemed to consume her when she did that. As she bounced and twirled, she felt the sound waves helping her move.

The chatting and laughter around her were fading away and it was just her and the music now. She circled her head around and let her right-hand slide down her face, chin, and neck. She felt two hands grab her waist and it pulled her abruptly out of her vibe. In shock, she turned around to see Goyle standing behind her. His face expression was filled with lust for a quick shag. If she accepted, he would've pushed her down right here and now with everyone around.

She kindly pushed him away from her, stepped back and felt another body grinding her from behind. Two feminine hands were planted on her hips and she recognized Pansy's nail polish. Pansy pushed her chin on top of her shoulder and whispered: "I thought you needed a little help there, sweetie."

Her face was pulled back off her shoulder and she moved her hands on Ella's lower back. Ella felt a little push and the alcohol in her system knew exactly what to do. She started grinding against Pansy and after a few seconds of hearing Pansy and Blaise cheering her on from behind, she even began to enjoy it.

Ella swept her hair over her back and bowed down, letting her hands steady her on her knees. She thought back about Draco's words that she would be thankful for the clothing change. She knew that dancing like this in her previous dress would only show the boys like Goyle exactly what she didn't want them to see.

She felt Pansy's hands move over her arse before she pulled Ella up by hugging her from the back. A bit exhausted, Ella straightened herself and turned around to see that Goyle had found a new victim. "Thank you." Ella said out of breath.

"Not a problem." Pansy smirked before she grabbed a glass out of Blaise's hand. "You're not bad, Black." Blaise said with a wink. Ella rolled her eyes and walked off the dance floor.

She poured herself another drink and turned around with the glass against her lips. She watched Ron run up to her and grab her by her arms. "You made it!" He screamed in her face. She felt a few drops of spit land on her face and she wiped it off. "Did you get my text?" He asked.

"I did, it was really - well written."

Hermione now joined the little get together and pushed Ron on the chair. "Oh my God, he's like a child when he's drunk." She exclaimed annoyed. "He doesn't drink that often, does he?" Ella asked as she pushed a bottle away from him.

"No, he doesn't."

"Hey! I'm perfectly fine. I'm just happy to see my new friend who is the only normal person here."

Hermione shot her eyes at him, "besides my beautiful girlfriend, of course." He said.

Ella crossed her arms and smiled at them. When Hermione had told her that she had a boyfriend she never thought of him as a local. She imagined some gang leader for some sort, or a psycho case like most of the students here.

Hermione moved her face in front of his and said: "I'll get you some water and then we're going back to my dorm, okay?" She then looked up at Ella. "Will you watch him for a sec?" Ella nodded and Hermione walked away.

Ron tried to grab the bottle again and Ella pulled it away from him. She emptied her own glass and sat herself down on the chair next to his. "How did you two meet?" She asked him.

A big smile was formed on his face. "Through my little sister, Ginny. They met at a club and instantly became besties." Ron inhaled deeply before he continued, "I am so lucky to have a girl like her. I never in my wildest dreams imagined her on my side."

Ella smiled back at him. The way he spoke about Hermione warmed her. Ron was just an innocent soul, for what she had gathered from him by now, he would never hurt a soul. Not purposely at least.

Within just a minute, Hermione was back with a glass of water and forced it down Ron's throat. ''Have you heard from Harry?" Ella asked her as she watched them.

"No, not for a while. He said he would wait a couple of hours before visiting Dumbledore. I haven't seen him since." Hermione looked up at Ella. "He'll come to you; Harry doesn't break promises."

"It's fine. I can always speak to him tomorrow."

Hermione smiled and lifted Ron from the chair. "I'll see you in class." Ella nodded and Hermione dragged Ron away.

She sat there a while by herself, watching Pansy and Blaise on the dance floor. Hours had gone by and she didn't feel like partying anymore. Her feet hurt and the alcohol was making her head feel dizzy. It was a good dizziness though, the one you would want to feel to get dislocated from the world. The ground under your feet would start to feel unreal, fading into thin air. Your surroundings would blur out and all you could feel would be your veins tighten.

The weight of the air was pressing on her head and shoulders and she imagined falling in her bed and drifting out of existence.

She stood and walked out of the room, to her old dormitory. Her place to sleep which was so empty after she had unpacked all her belongings. A place which would still be empty now that she had no belongings to fill it with.

~

When she walked in the hall her dormitory was in, she noticed a figure leaning against her door. She walked closer with her arms crossed.

In front of her door was Theodore standing. In his left hand was a black bag and in his right was a bottle of whiskey. He lifted his head up by her movement and pushed himself off the door.

He lifted the bag, "I, I got your clothes." He put the bag in front of her door and Ella let her eyes linger on it. "They are Daphne's, I assumed she would have the same size as you."

Ella looked at him, but he avoided her eyes. He let his hand slide through his hair before he finally looked up at her. "She just gave them to you?" Ella asked.

"She owed me,"

Ella scanned his body. His shirt was backwards, which it wasn't when she saw him last at the party. Her quick thinking got her back to a vision of him on her first school day at Hogwarts. In his neck was a big bruise exposed and she could now put the pieces together from who it belonged to.

Theodore started pressing his hands at his front and back pockets. He opened the bag in panic and searched through it. "What's wrong?" Ella asked him. "The book. I got you - your book, I took it with me." He pulled the clothes out of the bag but when there was no book in it, he kicked it further against the wall. "It's fine just give me the book tomorrow."

"No! It's not fine. I brought it with me, I must've lost it outside."

"Theo it's late, we'll find it tomorrow." Ella put her hand on the door handle, but Theodore pushed her hand off it. "We need to get it now."

Exhausted, Ella walked behind Theodore through the halls. Even though the thought alone was sweet, she really wanted to enjoy her dizziness in her bed and not searching in the cold for her book.

She watched Theodore open the outside doors and search around the bench he had sat on before. Ella let him search in peace and looked around the place. There was a big tree in the middle of the grass, not much further from the bench. Theodore was kneeled under the bench and he let his hands search the ground.

"Theo you won't find it, it's dark."

He ignored her and stood. He walked around the grass and Ella pulled out her phone. She opened her flashlight and guided him through the grass. "I ehm, was by the tree for a bit." There was a bit of shame in his voice as he walked up to it.

Ella frowned her brows, "you were there for a bit?" She immediately regretted saying that when she saw Theodore's face tighten in shame.

"Oh."

She followed him up to the tree and let the light of her phone search the grounds. She noticed him walking faster when he noticed the book on the ground. He put the bottle of whiskey on the ground, grabbed the book, and reached it out to her with a smile. When she grabbed it over from her, the light of her phone lit a bit behind the tree.

Ella noticed a shoe and without commenting, she walked around it. When she saw where the shoe came from, she gasped. Her hand started to shake, and she tightened her grip around the phone for it not to fall.

Tears started rolling over her cheeks and her mouth opened. She wanted to scream, but there was no sound coming out of her. She got pushed aside by Theodore who was now also looking at what she was looking at.

Ella felt her knees weaken, and Theodore clamped his hands against her cheeks. He pulled her face to his and he slowly pushed her body away. Ella quickly noticed and pushed him off her. He tried to make her not look at the dead body in front of them, he wanted to help her, but she had already seen it.

The imagine was already burned in her brain and looking away wouldn't help her.

Instead, she pushed the book and her phone back in Theodore's hands and walked closer to the body. She started crying more heavenly as she kneeled next to it. She let her hand wander in the air above the body before she let it rest on its chest. The tears burned in her eyes, as if they were filled with toxin.

She pressed her fingers on its jaw and slowly pushed its head to the side. The neck was exposed and there was a welt around it.

"Suicide?" Theodore asked.

"Then where is the fucking robe?" Ella yelled at him. Her tears dripped on his chest and she let her fingers now caress his temple. She curled her lips in a smile with her eyes still filled with tears, red and swollen.

Theodore stood behind her, watching the scene without any further commentary. He didn't know what to do, how to comfort her.

Ella then regained herself and wiped away the tears from her face. In silence she looked at the body and Theodore decided to ask: "Do we tell Dumbledore?"

"No. We get rid of it ourselves."

"You're kidding, right?"

Ella looked at him with fierce in her eyes. "You either help me, or you go." She said with no emotion in her voice. Theodore didn't move an inch before he finally nodded. "I'll carry him." He kneeled and grabbed his arms, pulled them over his shoulder and stood with him on his back. Ella got her phone and book back, grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the ground and walked behind them as they exited the school grounds. Her eyes were locked on Theodore's back. The emotion she was overwhelmed with just a moment ago had disappeared completely. She walked with her chin down, but with her eyes up.

When they found a proper place to lay him, Ella watched Theodore lay him back down on the ground. Theodore walked backwards and stopped beside her. They stood there for a minute before Ella walked closer and poured the entire bottle of whiskey over his body.

Theodore stood beside her again and reached out a lighter. She grabbed it and lit it in front of her. She watched the flame grow bigger and move along with the little wind the two of them almost didn't notice was there in the first place.

"It's funny how symbolic this is." She said with a voice she nor Theodore recognized. She then threw the lighter on the body. She saw the flames consume him fully, his legs, his romp, his arms, his neck, and his face. His hair burned off at first, then his skin started peeling off and his identity was almost not noticeable anymore.

Theodore put his hand between her shoulder blades and whispered: "We should go." He looked at her, hoping she would follow him back to the school. He knew the sight of a burning person was horrific to look at. Not to mention, the smell.

Ella nodded and threw the empty bottle into the flames. "Have fun with your parents, Harry." Were the last words she said before she turned around and walked away from the flames.


	11. Sleepless n

Slow, but very powerful.

Her veins tightened with his every touch on her skin. The areas where his fingertips softly touched her were echoing through her body. The spot he caressed seemed to widen throughout her entire arm. The line he had past left a warm trail of excitement behind. His touch deepened and her skin itched by every new spot he came across.

Her breathing got heavier. Her lungs worked harder than they had ever done. They tightened by every breath she took, letting the oxygen flow through before breathing it out again.

Her mind drifted off, to another universe it seemed. She got dizzy, disconnected. Her cheeks started to warm up, yet she felt numb through her skin. Her eyes closed out of reflex when she felt his warm lips close to her earlobe. His warm breath touched her skin as his lips parted, "One line."

His hands slipped away from her arms and her eyes opened again. In front of her was a red circle, put on the wall as a target. Her sight was blurring the surroundings, making just the red and white lines of the circle perfectly clear.

In that moment, she didn't feel his presence among her anymore. It was just her and the target. Her eyes zoomed in on the black spot in the middle, and once's even the red and white lines were blurred out; she raised her arm.

In hand she held a small knife, perfectly angled between her fingers. She moved her hand back, took in another breath, and threw the knife to the target. She watched the knife cut through the air before it sticked itself into the black spot. Her mouth opened to let out a satisfied sigh before the blur was back to normal and Draco turned her around to face him.

Ella let her head fall to the side as he moved his hand onto her cheek. His lips were curled in a cute little smile before he spoke, "Good job." His voice was deep, he spoke his words with a slur of air. He seemed out of breath for some reason.

His hand moved over her face and his thumb slowly pulled her lower lip down. Ella felt the same, but she knew exactly why she was out of breath. Him.

She was out of oxygen because of him. The way he touched her, how she felt his warm breath on her ear... How she ached for him in this moment.

A sudden warning boiled through her body. Ella tilted her head to the other side and grabbed Draco's wrist. She pulled his hand down and suddenly he seemed stiffer than ever. His eyes were pointed behind her, focused on something that scared him. "You- you did this?" He muttered. Ella let her eyes linger on his before she had the nerve to turn around and face whatever he was facing.

Slowly, she turned her body around and the light behind her got more and more intense by every inch she moved.

The warmth she didn't feel before now consumed her. Her skin was burning by it as it got more and more intense. A soft gasp excited her mouth when she laid eyes on a fire in front of her. The flames were angry and moved close to her, almost burning her. When she stepped back, she didn't feel Draco standing behind her.

She was alone.

A tear rolled over her cheek as she noticed a body inside the fire. "No." She whispered. She saw movement and she turned around immediately. "NO!" She yelled. The fire crawled up her feet and started to consume her. She lifted her legs, but they didn't move. She was stuck.

She felt the flames eat her skin, and when she looked up, she saw Harry stand in front of her. His skin was burned off, showing just one simple eye of his, his bright green eye.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" He spoke to her. She shook her head and closed her eyes. "You're dead." She said. "You're dead," she repeated.

When she opened her eyes again Harry was standing right in front of her. Blood dripped down his burned skin and it was a horrific sight. Out of reflex, she pushed his body away from her,

just to wake up in her bed alone. Covered in her own sweat.

~

Ella watched Ron weight two buns in his hands before he put the left one down, to take a bite out of his right one. Very fast, as if his life depended on it, he gabbed his apple juice and drank it before taking another bite.

Hermione was sitting next to him with a paper in her hands. Ella scanned her eyes over the front page to read about a small robbery that had taken place last night in their town. Hermione didn't much care about Ron's loud chewing like she did.

Ron, with his bun still hanging from his mouth, poked his fork in another sausage from his plate. "Have you heard from Harry?" Hermione asked. She laid her paper down on the table and Ella looked up from it, into her eyes.

She felt her body warm up, sweat tried to push its way through her forehead but she was able to calm herself before she answered, "No, why?"

"I haven't heard from him and he's not replying to any of my texts."

"Maybe he's sick." Stupid thing to say. Hermione lifted her brow but decided not to question Ella's answer. "Maybe."

Ella shifted her eyes to Ron who was working his third bun in. "Are you hungry?"

"I don't know why but I can't stop eating. Must be an after effect from the alcohol."

"That's called a hangover, Ron." Hermione rolled up her paper and laid it down on the corner of the table. "I'm never drinking again." He responded. Ella managed to fake a little smile at him. She looked up when she saw Theodore walk in the canteen with Draco on his side. Draco was in his usual grey sweats and black sweater, with his hands sunk into his pockets. His face seemed more pale than normal and his hair was not even touched.

Theodore seemed more in place. His jeans were tight, and his dark blue sweater matched with his dark blue sneakers. His hair was set in place with more gel than was necessary, and Ella could already smell his cologne from miles away. At least, the sight of him was what she could smell.

"I saw what happened yesterday," Hermione said. Again, the warm feeling of her rushed blood and pressing sweat consumed her. Ella looked back at Hermione, waiting for her elaboration.

"Why was he angry at you?"

Ella sighed in relief frowned her brows. "He felt betrayed. That's what I think at least. Since I left without telling him, and then the story of almost getting killed by Harry was the trigger for him to lose it."

"And you have never...?"

Ella's eyes tightened by the sudden question of her love life. "Never."

"Interesting." Hermione leaned back in her chair and Ella focused her eyes back on Theodore. She watched him sit himself down beside Goyle and chat his way through breakfast. Never did she imagine herself with Theodore. With no one of this school, really. Not until this night, her dream.

Her eyes shifted to Draco who sat in front of him. He was less chatty, more to himself as he ate his breakfast. His face expression was far of showing joy, like he was forced to be there. Forced to eat because he knows he must, not because he was hungry. Draco never seemed to be interested in her, gosh until yesterday they hadn't even spoke.

Until yesterday, where he had touched her hand and where she was eventually sunk in his clothes. The clothes she still had to return to him.

She looked back at Theodore. The sweet, caring Theodore. The guy who had been there for her since day one. The guy who had saved her from the cops, killed the one man for her who she wanted dead so desperately.

Theodore who had came to her when he was beaten by Harry, just to watch her burn him a few days after.

The guy who even when he was mad at her, still managed to get her clothes, knowing that she didn't have any herself anymore.

Ella looked down at her plate which was yet untouched. She felt Ron's eyes burn on her and when she saw him staring at her plate she kindly declined: "Fuck off, Ron."

~

A while later Ella walked to Madam Hooch' classroom. As she walked inside the room, she tightened her ponytail. Her head was down to the ground and she didn't realize that there was already someone in the room, until she looked back up and felt his eyes stare at her.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know someone was in here." She said awkwardly. "It's quite alright, the room is big enough for the both of us." His hair was short and dark brown. With just a glimpse of his features, she could tell he wasn't a nice guy at all.

"It is but I fancy training on my own." She attempted to turn around and walk out of the room, but his words stopped her, "There won't be any alone time when you're on the battlefield,"

She lifted her head up to him to heard him continue: "Just saying."

"Luckily this isn't yet a battlefield then." She really didn't want to train with someone she didn't know, but mostly because she was a total noob. "Emphasizing on the yet, I like that. I'm Adrian, and how come I haven't heard your name before?" He pulled off his gloves and put them down on the ground, right before his feet.

"I don't socialize."

The vibe around him didn't sit her right. She felt no need to go further into the conversation, but he seemed interested in her. "I see,"

Without moving or showing any indication of wanting to continue the conversation, she watched him with empty eyes. He was quick to notice and grabbed a sword out of its holder from the wall. He swinged it around his body to eventually let it glide along the ground. He watched his sword before he looked back at Ella.

"You're welcome to watch the show but seeing you like to be alone; this will be your queue to leave." He said with a disgusting smirk on his face. Ella let out a disbelieving sigh before she finally walked out the room. There goes her chance to train today.

~

The next day she was back in Snape's class. She had sat herself alone in front, causing Pansy and Blaise to frown their brows at her. It didn't seem fair to cut them out, but Ella just needed today to be alone. Just one more day of isolation before she was ready to face them and put on her brightest smile.

She heard the classroom door open behind her, but she didn't much care about it. Snape was already in front, so it must've been a late student.

As Ella stared in front of her, she felt the chair next to her move. She tilted her head to the right to watch Theodore sit himself down beside her. He didn't give her a glance though, but that was probably because Snape had his eyes pointed at him and he didn't want his jaw to be broken.

Ella scanned her eyes over his jaw before they landed on his exposed neck. She didn't catch on any bruises this time. She looked back to Snape who decided not to comment on Theodore and continue his lesson. Ella bowed down to her desk and started making notes. Her mind was not on the right place today, she needed the notes otherwise she would forget everything he learned them. His words just went in, but the meaning of them seemed to be a blur as they rolled through her brain.

A touch jerked her up and Theodore had located his hand onto her thigh. Abruptly, she turned her face to his just to see his eyes stare back. He whispered, "Are you alright?" But all she could think about was his hand on her thigh. She nodded her head, but his hand didn't move.

Flashbacks of his voice the other day flooded her mind. The hand on her thigh was moved to her cheek when he tried to pull her away from the scene. She felt her skin ache and aggressively she pushed his hand off her cheek, but it didn't move. It was as if her hand went straight through it, as if it all was just a simulation.

She looked behind her, trough her classroom, to see all the chairs empty. Confused by the sudden change of scene she looked back to Theodore just to see Harry sitting in front of her now. His hand was back on her thigh and he squeezed it. She felt flames escape from his palm and burn through the fabric of her trousers.

In panic, she tried to push it off but there was no use. "Leave me alone!" She cried out, but her words were as empty as the room.

She heard her own voice echo back in her ears and her tears blurred her sight. She cried heavily as Harry squeezed his hand tighter on her leg. The spot where it was hurting her started to grow, all the way up her chest, where her heart was beating.

With her eyes closed, she started fighting him off, pushing against his chest. It felt wrong, as if his body was nothing more than a sack of sand, she could easily move her fingers through. She kicked her legs against his chair but there was no use.

Suddenly, two hands landed on her shoulders and when she opened her eyes Harry was gone, as was the pain. Still in shock she watched a hand slide over her right arm, making Draco's ring visible to her. She laid her left hand on his and closed her eyes in relief. She slowly felt his hand disappear from underneath hers and when she opened her eyes again, she stared at the ceiling of her dormitory.

A tear rolled down her cheek. She wasn't used to dreaming, especially nightmares. But after Harry's death, that's all she had.

~

Two weeks had gone by and her nightmares never stopped. They were always the same; she saw Harry and somehow the thought of Draco pulled her back to reality.

She had spent most her days in the library, searching for ways to stop her nightmares but with no luck. Even Dean and Cedric helped her with her search but without knowing about Harry's death, they couldn't succeed either.

Most evenings she spent training by herself. Draco had stopped by twice these two weeks to watch her development. She had finally managed to spin the pencil between her fingers and she almost succeeded in swinging the wooden sword along her body just as she had seen Cho and Adrian do.

In class she avoided Theodore the most. He had tried to come up to her, but it was a bit of a struggle to separate him from her dreams. Also, Hermione got avoided, now that Harry had been gone for two weeks without any information about his whereabouts, she seemed to find comfort in Ella. Ella always lied to her; Harry hadn't reached out to her either. She managed to fake her shared concern for him, but she was afraid that one day she would snap. If not by words, the huge bags under her eyes from robbed nights would.

It was obvious she was going through something and Hermione was smart. It wouldn't be long before she would figure it out, which was something Ella wasn't ready for.

Ella had finally returned Draco's clothes back to him, and Theodore's clothes back to Daphne after she went shopping with Dean and got herself an entire new closet. She also bought some new books and stuff to decorate her room with.

She spent most her mornings walking around the Hogwarts grounds, avoiding the tree she had found Harry behind at all costs. She noticed that a lot of students were outside in the morning, smoking a cigarette or just to wake up with a good old morning breeze.

After the first week she saw Theodore join them. She never knew he smoked, but the way he casually held the cigarette between his fingers before he took a hit made it obvious that it wasn't his first.

Ella was now sitting in the library with her phone in her hands. She was looking over the pictures she had took of the wall in her house. She had to have something to keep her going, and she wanted to focus in decoding the map. She was still nowhere, all she knew was that Sirius was probably named Padfoot, but that's about it.

She searched around in her books to see old records of students that went to Hogwarts in her father's year. She finally got to the page with Sirius' class and his picture was the first face she landed her eyes on.

Sirius Black  
"I promise I'm nothing like my cousin."

She let her finger caress over the picture of her father. He seemed to happy. Her lip curled up and her fingers lowered to two names that caught her attention.

James Potter   
"Golden basketball."

Lily Evans  
"Hogwarts is my home."

She pulled the book closer as she read their names again. These people were Harry parents, they were in the same class as Sirius. Now she was even more certain; their deaths were not ordinary. There was something else going on and she had to find out what it was before she would be able to decode the map.

Before she could continue her plan to kill Tom Riddle,

A new voice then spoke to her, "That's something I haven't seen in a long time." Ella moved her sight away from the paper, to the face of a man she hadn't seen before. He had his hands in his pockets and his spine was pushed forward. He was dressed old fashioned, but it suited him.

She tried to come up with words, but she couldn't find any. The man stepped closer to the table and pointed his finger on a picture next to Sirius'. "You're looking at my class, - That's me."

Ella looked down at the picture of a young man, who seemed as happy as her father was. His face and name didn't do her anything, but when her eyes moved down to read his quote, she felt her heart drop.

Remus Lupin  
"Don't be so Moony - James P."


	12. His mark

Remus Lupin  
"Don't be so Moony - James P."

The man standing in front of her was the literal key to most of her questions.

Ella watched the picture for a couple of seconds before she tilted her head back up to face him again. Seeing that he was the same age as her father, the only reason why he would've been on this school was due to work.

He was probably a teacher of the school she presumed. Which meant that behind his caring looks he as well could be a psycho like the others. She had to be careful with asking her questions.

"Wait, Remus Lupin? You must have known my father, Sirius Black."

The man lifted his finger back up from the picture and put it into his one empty pocket. "I did indeed. I was great friends with your father when we both studied here. It must be hard for you now that he is in prison."

"Sometimes." Ella looked back at the picture. - James P. That means that Harry's father was involved with the Marauders map. Would he have been one of them? One of the creators? Now that it was clear that Remus seemed to be Moony, and the biggest lead to Padfoot was her father; It left Wormtail and Prongs.

"Funny word choice you put as quote, what does it mean?" He seemed intrigued by her question, but it was clear that he saw no harm in telling her about it. "Moony was something the boys liked to call me. It was a nickname, we all had one."

"Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs. Am I right?"

His brow lifted, "You are."

"Don't mind me asking, sir. But who were they?" Ella shifted her legs; she was on the edge of finding out the meaning of the names. After all this time, she would finally be a step closer to the truth. A truth what was indeed close to Hogwarts but as well with Harry.

"Your father, Padfoot, and I shared a friendship with James Potter and Peter Pettigrew. Prongs and Wormtail." The way he spoke to her, with his head tilted down and his eyes focused on hers through his eyebrows, gave her the feeling that he knew what she knew. As if the man could see right through her intentions.

Peter Pettigrew, one of the people Sirius had killed.

She came to believe that he had no intention in lying to her. He came off as if he wanted her to know all of it, but he still was careful with his choice of words. In some way, she had to do most of the thinking herself.

"James' son is in my class. Not that I've seen him in a while, I've been sick." He chose to change the subject but a thought in Ella's mind made her believe he didn't start talking about Harry out of the blues. Her veins tightened by the sound of Harry's mention. "Harry is your student? That means I am as well." She decided to play along, being as careful with her words as he was.

"Is that so? Well, I will see you soon then, Ms Black." He gave her a wink with no sexual intentions. She could make up out of his wink that he knew exactly what she was doing, and this was a hint to her that she was on the right path. She knew the names; she knew the main people related to the map and that's the closest she's been in weeks.

He smiled and walked away from her.

Ella watched the man walk away and when he was far enough, she stared back at the picture of her father. She got the names, the meaning of them. But what was she supposed to do with it? She looked through the pictures of the wall on her phone.

This sentence was written below the map, but she couldn't make out the meaning of it. She read the sentence over and over but still couldn't get any wiser.

A sudden insecurity hid her. Her eyes scanned over the pictures to find another name written down multiple times.

R.A.B.

She was sure she had read that signature once before, but she couldn't quite picture it. She couldn't think straight. Her mind was an empty room, all her memories and knowledge just flew out. She tried to think harder, but she only gave herself a headache.

She swiped her finger to the right and another picture of the wall was visible. There was a list written under the title The Order of the Phoenix. Strange name for a group of people. Most names were crossed but her eyes fell on a name she had seen before. It had a line through, she figured out it meant that the person which name it belonged to, had died. She leaned backwards in her chair and let out a sigh. The name written was Petunia Evans. Lily Evans sister who later got married to Vernon Dursley.

The people that Harry had killed, the family he had lived with after his parents died.

Ella put the back of her hand against her lips as she leaned forward again. It wasn't a coincidence that Petunia's name was on the wall. She must have related to the raid before she died. Maybe, she still did even after death. It would make sense, now that Harry's father was a member of the Marauders and his aunt was in the Order of the Phoenix.

She looked back over the names. Most of them didn't ring a bell. Until she read Aberforth Dumbledore. The person she had brought that envelope to on her very first mission. He didn't let her read it, but now that she could link him back to the map, she was sure that envelope mattered. If that was somehow related to killing Tom Riddle, the girl, and the man she met that day could've been his followers.

She stood and grabbed her books together. She got herself a plan printed inside her mind, but if it was any good, she wasn't sure of. She just knew that she needed back up, and it was surely not going to be either Dean or Theodore.

~

''Oh, please. It's not like you got anything better to do.'' Ella walked behind Draco as he walked nonchalant through the corridors of Hogwarts.

Ella spun around him on her heels and put her hand against his chest to make him stop walking. He had told her no, but now he was just straight up ignoring her. As she stood in front of him, he looked over her head with his hands in his pockets. ''Please?'' she tried again.

Draco looked down to face her back. ''No.'' His expression was numb and there was no single movement in his face muscles as he spoke. She realized that with a simple pout she wouldn't get him to go with her. She needed to play this in a different way, fire with fire. She watched him walk past her and she had to think quick about what to say.

''Fine. You know what, don't go. I'll just ask someone else. Maybe Blaise, or- '' Fuck, she needed to think of someone Draco would see as competition, but their entire class seemed unworthy to him. Her mind moved along Cedric. No, he's not good enough. But then she knew, ''Adrian.''

Draco stopped walking and slowly moved his head to her. ''You know him, right?'' Ella asked, hoping he would. ''How do you know Adrian?'' Draco asked her.

''I just met him,''

''I'm coming with you. We're leaving in two hours.'' He turned his head back and his pace got quickened. Ella cheered inside her body and walked back to her dormitory. Gotcha.

~

Two and a half hours later, Ella was standing in front of the pub she had laid in front off, al bruised up.

She had put herself in tight black jeans with a black turtleneck on top. Draco seemed to have had the same idea, seeing he was as well dressed fully in black. Ella's hair was in a high ponytail and one single strand hang in front of her face. On her right leg she had a holder for her knife, just in case. Draco had two small guns tight to his belt, but he didn't seem to be as scared as she was.

''Are you going in, or?''

Ella looked at him annoyed. She took a deep breath to calm herself before she started walking. She pushed the front door open and the empty pub was in front of her. She did expect people, due to the fact it was barely in the evening. It seemed not a single chair had been sat in that day and the bar was not used at all.

She hesitated a little before she stepped in. Something was off, she felt it and Draco did as well. He watched over his shoulder before he followed her and they immediately went upstairs, to Aberforth's office. For their surprise, the door was already open. Ella felt Draco's hand pull her behind him and he pulled out one of his guns. He watched over his shoulder, facing her. His expression said enough; 'Don't do anything stupid.'

Ella let him go in first and followed him after a short while. She watched him search around the room for any hidden people, but he soon cleared it. "Why would he let his pub open like this?" But as soon as Ella spoke out the words, he grabbed her aggressively and pulled her behind Aberforth's desk.

Ella had her back against the wooden furniture and looked at Draco who had his finger across his lips. He moved his eyes up, to get a glimpse of the door. Soon after, Ella heard the voices he had heard way before her. She tried her hardest to keep her breathing on a minimum but the adrenaline in her body was making it difficult for her.

She opened her mouth to whisper something, but Draco was quick to shake his head. His brows where frowned and his other hand was now on top of his second gun.

The voices became louder and it was now clear to hear what they were talking about, "Just put him here, it will show our message to Dumbledore."

"Is that smart? He will immediately come looking for the envelope."

"He wouldn't. He would send one of his students,"

The men walked into the room and a loud bang of a body that was thrown on the wooden floor sounded through the room. Ella was scared to look up and see what had made the sound, but by the looks of Draco's eyes that had turned furious; it wasn't any good.

"And when he does, we'll just take them out."

The men started laughing and one of them bowed over the body. Ella moved her eyes to Draco's hand which started to shake again. She got reminded of Slughorn's class, his hand used to shake there as well and that was the reason they got caught. Ella slowly raised her hand and put it on top of his.

Draco moved his head down to see her hand but instead of being angry about it, his hand stopped shaking and the anger in his eyes seemed to have disappeared. Her lip curled in a small smile and he lifted his eyes back up to watch the men. When the one that was bowed down had stood, they both walked out. Ella and Draco waited a little before they stood, and Ella immediately looked at the body on the floor. It was Aberforth, and his shirt was cut open, showing a huge cut going vertically over his chest. Ella pulled her hand back off Draco's and walked to the body.

On his chest, beside the cut was a mark carved. It was the same as they had done to her uncle Regulus when he was killed. It was the first time she saw the mark; it was a huge T with an S carved through it. Or it was an eight, she wasn't sure.

"It's a snake." Draco muttered. Ella faced him, "It's his mark."

"He must've hidden the envelope somewhere else; I don't think they would've left this place unsearched." Ella thought. Draco nodded and bowed down next to Aberforth's body. He pushed his guns back in their holders and grabbed his phone. He started making pictures of the mark, "What are you doing?"

"I'm sending this to Dumbledore. He should know."

"Right,"

As Draco stood back up, there was just a bare second before he grabbed his guns back, turned to the door, and pointed his weapons at the men that were back. Ella held up her knife and stepped a bit backwards. The men walked in, smirking.

"Draco Malfoy. I haven't seen you in a while." One of the men said.

"Dolohov."

Dolohov, Antonin Dolohov. The man who had send Sirius the box with the rotten finger.

He walked closer and rotated his knife in his left hand while his other hand was in his pocket. "Don't tell me you're here Dumbledore's orders."

"Actually, I was sightseeing. It's quite a nice town, Hogsmeade."

Dolohov started laughing, watched over his shoulder to the other man, who started laughing as well. When he looked back, he stared at Ella. "I know you, you're Sirius' daughter. I was hoping to meet you soon. I've been wishing to," he rotated his knife again. "explore your skin."

Draco stepped forward and let his left-hand fall beside his body as his other was still aimed at Dolohov. Dolohov faced him in disbelief. "Oh, come on, Draco. I was just playing with her."

"Your date is with me pal." Draco muttered.

"I was hoping you'd say that." He rotated his knife one last time, moved his arm in front of his body, and threw it into Draco's direction. A second later he grabbed a gun out of his back pocket and aimed it at Draco who effortlessly dodged the knife.

Dolohov started shooting but the only holes he was able to create, where in the wall behind Draco. Draco quickly pulled Ella long with him and hid them behind the desk they had been hiding before.

When he heard Dolohov reload his gun, he leaned over the desk and took a couple of shots himself. Dolohov and the other man hid themselves behind the doorpost and when Draco was out of bullets, Dolohov took the opportunity to shoot back at him.

Draco sat back down and reloaded his gun. "You know you're not going to win like this, right?" Ella whispered at him. "You have a better idea?" Ella blinked her eyes as she thoughts of ways to get out. "Too slow, Black." He leaned back over de desk and started shooting again. When he got back down Ella laid her hand on top of his gun.

"I have an idea but it's stupid." She said. She looked to her left, at the window. "We're on the first floor, it wouldn't be deadly."

Draco pushed her head back down when multiple shots flew across the desk. "I'll cover you." He whispered.

"Promise me that you'll follow me." Draco looked from her to the window. He lifted his gun to eye hight and started shooting at the glass of the window. It broke and the glass shattered on the ground. He looked back at her and whispered, "I promise."

Ella stared in his eyes to see a single tightening in his face muscles, searching for any ordinary expressions to imply a lie. Yet, he seemed more serious than ever. She nodded and Draco stood, started shooting at the men, while Ella ran to the window. Draco's lip curled up when he heard Dolohov curse when a bullet scratched his arm.

Ella pushed herself up and wiggled her body through the window. She looked down and immediately got scared by the height. She closed her eyes and let her hands loose. There was no time to hesitate, not with Draco's life on the line.

She let herself fall forward and landed on the ground a couple of seconds later. A huge pain moved through her legs and she groaned loudly as she walked herself away from the spot she had landed. When the pain faded away, she looked up, waiting for Draco to jump.

It took way too long, and Ella felt the anxiety grow inside her body. Did they get him? Or worse, shot him? He would've jumped by now if they didn't.

Two minutes had passed.

"Come on." She whispered to herself. She wanted to run back inside pub, help him out, but all she had was her knife. She would bring herself and probably him as well in even more danger.

What if he jumped while she was running back upstairs? It would've all been for nothing.

He promised he'd follow. She had to trust him on that.

He's Draco Malfoy for crying out loud, the best shooter of their class. He wouldn't go down that easily.

But his hand? He can't shoot properly when his hand was shaking.

"Get into character," Dumbledore's words sounded through her mind. But what character was she supposed to be? Would her character run back up or wait for him down here?

She walked backwards to see of she could get any sight through the window, but it was too high. She still heard several gunshots, that would mean that Draco was still alive. Nobody was covering him, that's probably why he was taking so long. He couldn't just bareback jump out; they would've got a clear shot. Knowing Draco, he would invalid them first, giving himself the clear space to take the jump.

The gunshots had stopped and there was a minute-long silence that ate at her.

He didn't jump. He had a minute to jump and he didn't. She had to go in now, she had to help him.

She attempted to walk back inside the pub until she heard two feet land behind her. She turned around and saw Draco kneeled on the ground. He tilted his head over his shoulder and his blonde hair fell over his face, showing just one of his eyes.

He was out of breath, but he didn't seem to be in pain. Ella walked up to him and he stood. "Are they dead?"

"No, we got to go."

He put his guns back in their holders and started running. When Ella heard several gunshots, and watched bullets fly around them, she started running behind him.

Dolohov was shooting at them from out of the window, but they were too fast, he missed every shot. He threw his gun on the ground and cursed loudly as he watched Ella and Draco disappear.


	13. Dreams and emotion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS  
> SELF-HARM.
> 
> I WILL MARK THE SCENE WITH A TRIGGER WARNING. IF THIS TRIGGERS YOU, YOU CAN SKIP THE SCENE IT WON'T BE NECESSARY TO KNOW FOR FURTHER CHAPTERS.
> 
> YOU CAN START READING AGAIN BELOW THE SECOND LINE FROM THE SCENE.

"Are you happy now?" Draco muttered under his breath as they walked back into Hogwarts. "Yes." Ella said, trying to keep up with his speed. "Okay, maybe we didn't get what we came there for but at least we know that they don't have the envelope!"

"Why do you want that bloody thing anyway?"

"I need to know what's in it," Draco stopped walking and held his hand up to make Ella stop as well. "You don't even know what's in it?"

"No, but I have a suggestion."

"And that is?"

Ella blinked and hesitated before she spoke, "I can't tell you." Draco let out a disbelieving sigh and turned back around to continue his walk. "Next time, ask Theo to help you."

Before he could turn around the corner to disappear dramatically – Dumbledore was him first. He had his hands behind his back and looked from Draco to Ella. "I was waiting for you two." He waited for Ella to come closer before he continued. He had his eyes pinned down at Draco as he spoke, "I saw your message, thank you for letting me know that my brother is dead."

Draco nodded and Dumbledore then walked closer to Ella and stared her down a couple of seconds. There were just a few inches apart from Draco and them, but it felt for Ella like miles. She was lost for words, she waited for him to start. Dumbledore then pulled a set of flat brass knuckles out of his back pocket. He nonchalant pulled it over his knuckles and stretched his fingers to set it in place. Ella started breathing heavily and watched his hands move as he stretched them. She could already feel the pain he was going to cause her, but she couldn't do anything. Neither could Draco, who silently stood behind them.

Dumbledore licked his lips as she stared at his right hand. With a sudden move, he sliced his knuckles against Ella's cheek. She felt her skin burst open and a horizontal cut had appeared on her cheek. She closed her eyes, as her head hung to the side, and she slowly moved her fingers over her wound. Her fingers started shaking, tears were burning in her eyes, but she knew that if she started crying, she was done for.

"Get into character."

Before she could stand straight, another hit had pushed her face to the side. She grabbed her tights to keep herself steady. The inside of her mouth was now covered in a mixture of blood and saliva. She opened her mouth to divide the pain which relieved it for a bit. The mixture dripped out of the corner of het mouth and she wiped it off her lips with the back of her hand.

"It's your weakness, don't show that here."

"Look at me." Dumbledore ordered. Ella moved her chin up and looked in his eyes. Her eyes grew bigger and the anger inside of her started to grow. This time, he pushed his knuckle in her stomach. She moved her hands close to the spot he had hit her before she sank through her knees. She looked at Draco who had his arms crossed and watched the scene in silence. No expression shown on his face.

"Use them. Use those voices in your head,"

What voices could she use?

Dumbledore clamped his hand around the funnel of her shirt, pulled her roughly off the ground and forced her to look at him again. She tried her hardest not to show any weakness or pain symptoms, but it seemed to make him even angrier. He let her fall back on the ground after staring into her eyes for quite a few seconds and kicked his foot against her hip. Without even trying to catch her own body, she landed on her side onto the cold hard ground. The smack got her voice out, the voice that was hiding deep inside her brain for this entire encounter. It wasn't her voice though, it was Harry's. She closed her eyes and she felt her surroundings blur away from her. In the darkness behind her eyelids she could clearly see him standing in front of her. He was kneeled before her and tilted her chin up, forcing her to look into his green eyes. The green eyes she had been seeing only one of these last few nights. Those pretty green eyes which were now burned to the ground along with him.

"Come on now, Black. Are you really letting that old man beat you?" She looked away from him, but he pushed her chin back to his face. "Look at me when I talk to you." His face stared to burn, and she pushed him off.

She opened her eyes and felt the cold ground burn onto the side of her face, did she faint? Before she could question anything else, she was again raised and pushed backwards. She managed to keep herself steady this time and with much more fierce in her eyes, she crossed eyes with Dumbledore again. This was the first time he showed his true colours to her. This time their encounter wasn't easy like it was on the Yule Party. He wasn't nice to her; he didn't spare her.

He was truly who he was all along. Ruthless.

She saw his fist take yet another swing, but she was quick to raise her hands into the air and clamped them onto it. She held it tight between both her hands and his eyes opened by surprise before she twisted his wrist to the side, making his entire chest open to her. She leaned forward and pushed her first into the direction of his chest.

He immediately dodged it by pushing his elbow down, blocking her hand. Ella gasped and he grabbed her hand to twist it back, exactly how she did it by him but with more force. He pulled her closer and held her arm behind her back.

Ella's chest bounced up and down as she tried to calm her own breathing. She had her eyes locked onto his and his mouth opened, "Good." He spoke. He let go of her and stepped back. She fell through her knees and Dumbledore pulled off his brass knuckles. He made them disappear in his back pocket and turned around. He walked past Draco and turned around the corner as fast as he had come.

Now that Dumbledore was finally gone, the tears started rolling over her cheeks. She didn't dare to look at Draco, not while she looked like this. She rubbed her sleeve underneath her eyes and wiped away her tears. She didn't want them to be shown, not to anyone. Not in here, not in Hogwarts were every single drop of liquid flowing from her eyes could be seen as a weak spot. When she finally got the energy to stand up, she raised her chin and looked Draco in his eyes.

His eyes met her back, but there wasn't a shimmer of empathy to see in them. They were grey and duff like always. He just stood there, staring her down without saying a single word of comfort to her. She wiped away the blood, she felt stick onto the corner of her mouth, with her thumb and walked past him. Neither of them giving each other another glance, as if nothing had happened within these suddenly tidier walls.

~

The next day, Ella walked effortlessly into the classroom. Even though she felt like crap, she wore the tightest jeans she could find and a black crop top with a low cut. It revealed the bruise on her stomach just a bit. Her hair was up in a ponytail, showing the cut on her cheek even better. Her lower lip was swollen and so was her right eye.

She walked elegant through the room and sat herself down in front, showing everyone who was already inside, her walk of shame. Snape was standing in front of the class and he scanned the cut on her face. When she noticed, she raised her brows quickly before she let them rest again.

She felt the eyes of her fellow students burn on her back and she heard some whispers behind her. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself calm, and Snape quickly started his lesson.

When the hour was done for, she walked out the same way she walked in. Elegant and with her nose up in the air. Not giving a single student a glance. When Hermione tried to get her attention, she walked right past and left the classroom.

Without talking to anyone that day, Ella decided to spend her evening in her dormitory. She had already washed herself and thrown on her pyjamas to already lay in bed by 7PM.

She had her book open in front of her and started reading. The pages were all a blur and the words didn't sink in. Even though she had read this specific book multiple times, she couldn't understand a single word.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
TW: SELF-HARM  
———-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She closed her book and laid it down next to her bed on the ground. She wanted to sleep but she knew that she would just have another nightmare about Harry and she also wasn't quit satisfied with the idea to see Draco in it this time.

She slowly moved her fingers up her cheek and started peeling on the wound. The tears she had pushed back the entire day were finally flowing out.

This was what she had signed up for, didn't she? Did was what she had to go through to help her father. This is what she deserved, she thought.

She felt her wound burn and the pain echoed through her entire body. Somehow, the burning feeling over her ripped skin was rather warming her than hurting her.

She let her nails explore through the cut and she bit her teeth together as she pulled her skin down. The cut opened wider at the ends of it, where her skin was just barely intact, she pulled it further open. The blood started to flow again and a barely noticeable trail of it rolled over her cheek onto her lips.

Her hand started shaking as she pushed her nail further into her flesh. She wanted to push them in deep, feel her own warm flesh underneath her nails.

Ella had her eyes closed, barely. Her head started to spin, and she imagined a gas exiting her body through the opening on her cheek. Her body was relaxing, the tension was bursting out her wounds and she felt herself fade away. Her thoughts and her grip onto reality seemed to not matter anymore.

She tried to explain the feeling to herself, it was the feeling of her body as a balloon filled with toxic gas and letting it all out when it got cut open. She felt satisfied, more relaxed.

When she put a second finger in, she let her fingers push down. The pain started to get heavier and she quickly removed them from her face. Her mind seemed to be more at bay, and she could now clearly see the blood drops on her fingers.

She stood and walked to her bathroom to wash her hand. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she let her shaking fingers search over the cut. They weren't deep, it wouldn't give her a huge scar after they had healed.

She now looked at both her hands. Her mind seemed emptier, her tears were dried and all she could feel now was the burning pain on her cheek. Her head started to get dizzier and she decided to clean the wound in the morning, now that it was still bleeding there was no use anyway.

8PM.

It had taken her an hour.

9PM,

It had also taken her an hour to finally fall asleep.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
End of TW  
———-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning her eyebags were less visible. She had a good night of sleep. There had been no ghost of Harry taunting her. It was just a night without any dreams, a night she remembered, as she used to have them normally.

Her mind was so much clearer and even though she hated herself for what she did the other night, in someway it helped her. The pain in her head was gone and it was empty enough to get a good night of sleep.

She was standing in front of her mirror and looked at her own face. She didn't recognize herself, she seemed number. Like Draco normally was, she thought. She couldn't feel any emotion.

She put on her training outfit and went to Madam Hooch' class. Everyone else was already there. Unnoticed, she walked to the back of the class and sat herself down on the ground. She leaned against the wall and watched Madam Hooch teach everyone a new skill.

Soon after that everyone had to team up. Ella shifted her eyes through the room. She saw Hermione looking at her, she wanted to team up with Ella now that Harry wasn't there. Ella couldn't, she would only ask her about her wound or about Harry and in the state Ella's mind was in, she would just die right on the spot. Ella immediately faced the other way, to Theodore. She saw him chatting with Blaise and Pansy. She felt her body ache for him, she did miss him, his jokes and just his presence around her. She was so much lonelier now that she couldn't bare being with him, but also sparring with the one guy that led her to nightmares didn't seem as a good idea.

Ella then noticed Cho standing up alone. She also stood and walked up to her. Cho was the one person at the moment that she could bare. She had no relation to any of the drama and even though she scared her most of the time because of her advanced skills, she would rather be kicked to the ground by her than by any of the others.

"You want to go together?" Ella asked.

"Please, you're broken. I'm not going to fight you." Cho said as she tightened her gloves.

"I'm not broken, I'm fine."

"It's a no for me, Black. Just sit this one out." Cho bowed down to stretch her back and Ella pushed her fist into her waist. Cho fell on the ground and cursed loudly. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"I told you, I'm fine." Ella got steady in a fighting stand and waited for Cho to stand up and fight her back. "I'm not going to fight you." Cho said determined. She pushed her hands on her knees and stood. "Then I'll win pretty quick."

Ella started hitting and kicking Cho, but she dodged all her tries. Ella took a little break to catch her breath and she muttered under it: "Fight back!"

Cho looked at her with raised brows. It wasn't clear is she felt bad for Ella, or that she was embarrassed for her. Either way, Ella was done with her little break and started hitting Cho again. She raised her arms and made several swings targeted at Cho's face. Meanwhile, after she had made a swing, she started kicking her legs up high to Cho's waist.

By her last kick, Cho grabbed her leg and turned it around, making Ella lose balance and fall on the ground. She could push her hands under her body just in time, but her chin took the smack anyway. She groaned but pushed herself up quickly. Before she could take another hit at Cho, Theodore had grabbed her from behind. She started fighting Theodore off which made him let go of her. Ella was now turned to face him and pushed him against the wall. She had her lower arm against his throat and pushed it upwards to make him gasp for air.

Her arm started shaking, and he effortlessly pushed her arm back down. Their eyes were locked, and when Ella noticed that multiple eyes were focused on them, she looked away. The class was silent as was the teacher.

She turned on her heels and gave every single one of them a glance. She grabbed the ends of her imaginary dress, knelt a bit down her knees and formed the widest smile she possibly could. When she stood back straight, her smile faded quick and so did she. With every eye burned into her back, she walked out of the room.

~

A few days later, Ella had finally found the power to eat her breakfast with the rest of the group. She saw Hermione sit with Cedric and Cho so she wouldn't have to stress about her for the moment. She walked with her tray along the table Daphne was sitting at. She seemed to be just as sleepless as Ella was. She noticed her gazing back at her, but it wasn't meant friendly.

She ignored it and sat herself down at the table where Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Theodore and Draco were sitting. She had her eyes focused on her tray, on the little bottle of orange juice. She didn't feel the need to talk to them about her, she just wanted to sit with them and blend in like she normally would. Sadly, for her, they didn't think the same.

"Are we finally good enough for you?" Pansy asked with her eyes pointed at her. They were filled with anger and dominance.

"Yes." Ella replied. She opened her juice and put the cap back on her tray. Ella bit the inside of her cheek as she moved her hands along her tray. Her entire body and mind were exhausted and filled with anger all the time, she already regretted sitting with them.

Blaise frowned his brows and said, "Well, I missed you. Not."

Ella looked up at him with her hand half in the air as she held her juice close to her mouth. The others were quiet, not even Theodore replied to his comment. She looked over at the rest of them before she faced Blaise again.

"Bummer."

"Why don't you find yourself another table, Black."

She again, looked over to the others but nobody seemed to care. "Fine." She closed her bottle and put it back on her tray. ''I didn't want to sit with you anyway.'' She lifted it and stood at the same time. She walked away from the table, but she had alreadylost her appetite. She put her tray away and exited the canteen.

She decided to take in the outside world before she would lock herself in her dormitory again. The very second, she set foot outside, she was swallowed by a cold breeze. Her hair swung around her head and she pulled it away from her face. She looked to the side to see the large tree she had found Harry behind, standing alone in the distance. She wanted to go up there, take in the atmosphere that still held onto Harry's ambience.

She hadn't noticed that she was standing still there, staring at the tree, for quite a while until a familiar voice broke her out of her trance. She tilted her eyes to the side to face Adrian. He had his mouth curled into a smirk while a half-smoked cigarette hung out of the corner of it.

''You're not going to be mad about sharing the courtyard with me now too, are you?''

''No, I was just having a bad day back then.'' A lie, she didn't like him. He gave off the wrong vibes but at the moment she had nobody, so she didn't really care about whoever companied her. ''Or week.'' She smiled her sentence off, making sure that Adrian caught on her acceptance of a conversation. And he did.

''Cigarette?'' He held out his pack of cigarettes and Ella pulled one out. She had never smoke one in her life before, but she had seen multiple students here do it. Why would everyone be smoking if it wasn't enjoyable?

She put the cigarette between her lips and Adrian held up his lighter to help her lit it. When she took in the first inhale, she started coughing immediately. He started laughing at her and she pulled out the cigarette between her lips in embarrassment. ''First time?'' He asked and she nodded. ''Don't worry, you'll get used to it.''

''If I won't you'll be paying my hospital fee.''

He laughed again. She didn't even think that was funny herself but well, nice to know that she was a proper comedian now. She took another hit and coughed again. She felt his hand onto her back, and he slapped softly against it. She looked up at him, she was not used at people touching her that soon. Especially Adrian who already had a bad vibe to her.

She decided to not see any harm in it and rolled the cigarette between her fingers. ''Don't mind me saying but, you seem a bit off.''

''I am. Can't you see?'' She pointed her finger at her cheek. ''Ah, you got beat.'' He pushed his finger in her cheek and she stepped a bit backwards. ''Sorry, didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.'' Ella watched his eyes turn sad and she felt guilt grow inside of her. Was she mistaken him? Maybe he was a sweet guy and she was acting like this on pure instinct. She decided to comfort him and said, ''You're not, it just hurt that's all.''

''I'm glad.'' He looked at his watch and said, ''I have to go back to class but enjoy your cigarette.'' He winked at her before he walked back inside the school. Ella looked down at her cigarette and took another hit. Again, she coughed. She threw away the stick and also walked back inside.

~

Ella was sitting in her dormitory with several books she took from the library that day. Normally she would stay there to read them, but she wanted to be alone. Her ribs were bouncing, and her cheek was still hurting. Even though it had been a couple of days, her body still ached, and she was questioning if it was mental or physical. She tried to distract herself from it by reading, until her phone rang.

Without realizing that it was a video call, she picked up and saw Dean appear on her screen. He had his nose down in several notes, "I've searched everything you've asked me. At first the mark, it would be obvious that the T would stand for his name, Tom. The S or snake thing around it can apply to a serpent, if it was really a snake though. It would make total sense since a serpent is a sly or treacherous person, they would- What the fuck happened to you?" He now faced the screen.

"Please don't ask,"

"Is someone bullying you? You know you can tell me, right."

"Please leave it Dean, I'm really not in the mood. What are the other things?"

Dean stared at her for a while before he formed a quick nod and bowed over his notes again. "I'm pretty sure the nightmares are caused by anxiety. I couldn't find anything that could help beside the basics," He looked up. "talk about it."

"I am talking about it."

"No, you're not. You're not even telling me what they are about. If something happened to you-"

"They're about Harry."

Dean frowned his brows. "Did he do something to you?" Ella shook her head. She inhaled deeply before she exhaled again. She must tell him; he was her best friend, wasn't he? Why would she keep lying to him?

"He died." Her voice was crooked. The pain she was holding in was hearable in her voice. "I found him, the night of the Yule party," her words came out slow and quiet. She had to force herself to speak, because holding it in was so much easier for her. "I burned his body." She smiled but it was clear to see that she didn't enjoy saying that.

"I saw the flames ate him and ever since I've been dreaming about his burned face. He grabs me, Dean-" her voice became more painful. "And I can't do anything about it. He keeps me trapped, I..."

"It's okay, Ella." She watched his comforting face. "I wish you were here." She whispered. "Me too." Ella sighed and scratched her forehead. "Who else knows?" Dean asked her.

"Just Theo. He was with me. But I- I can't talk with him about it."

"Why not?"

Ella paused, "I don't know why but sometimes my nightmares start with him. I- I see him and t-then he changes to Harry. I can't face him without the feeling of pain that the nightmares give me."

Dean relocated his phone on his desk so that now both his hands were visible, "I'm pretty sure that's because he was with you that night, he became a reminder of Harry's death."

"I don't blame him for it."

"Probably not directly. You have to find out the thing deep inside that makes you blame him, he probably did something you wish he didn't."

Ella now grabbed the behind of her head. She moved her fingers through her hair as she tried her hardest to crack open her brain and find the reason. Flashes of that night flooded her mind. How Theodore stood in front of her door, how he handed her Daphne's clothes, how she had followed him outside, how he had found her book by the large tree, how they found Harry...

"I can't,"

"You can. Think beside the obvious lines."

Theodore standing in front of her door, Daphne's clothes, following him outside, finding her book, finding Harry.

Door, Theodore's recked shirt, Daphne's clothes, going outside, her book, Harry.

Daphne's clothes, Theodore's shirt, the large tree, Harry...

"He had sex against the tree that night, where we found Harry behind." She muttered.

Dean waited for her to continue herself. He wanted her to say it, unravel it. "He was fucking Daphne while Harry's body just laid there. He could've found him sooner. He could've spared me the sight." Ella was zoomed out; she didn't watch her screen. She was facing her bed beside her phone, lost in her thoughts as her body filling with anger. Her eyes had zoomed out as well, her phone was now a blurry reminder that she wasn't actually talking to herself and going mad.

"That's your reason, Ella."

She looked back at her screen. "I have to talk to him, don't I?" She asked Dean. He nodded. "But I think there's also someone else that you need to talk to." He paused.

"Harry didn't die because he was burned to death. You burned his body after, right?'' Ella nodded. ''And he keeps showing you that he's burned in your dreams, am I correct?'' Ella nodded again. ''I'm not a doctor but I'm pretty sure that manifests guilt."

Ella was thrown off card. ''But I didn't do anything to him. Why would I feel guilty?'' Dean raised his shoulders. ''It's your brain Ella. Maybe it's not towards him nor his death. He could be simply just a reflection of guilt you feel towards someone else.''

She let her face hang down and all her muscles were relaxed. ''Hermione,''


	14. Loyalty

Theodore was standing outside in the courtyard. He held his cigarette between the fingers of his right hand while his left hand was sunk into his front pocket. He was leaning against the wall that held the building in place, with his left foot in front of his right. He seemed to be taller someway – It was a totally different look when he had his back straight, chin up and his eyes faced down to the person in front of him.

He placed the cigarette onto his lips and grabbed it tight between them. He let his hand hover in front of it, but as he inhaled the toxin from the stick, his hand wasn’t touching it.

He was talking to one of their classmates, Millicent Bulstrode. She was a quiet kid, never talked to anyone during class. She liked to stay hidden but there was no secret that Millicent fitted right into Hogwarts. Even though she appeared to be weak, someone anyone could take a use off, she had as well a temper as Theodore had.

Ella had seen her arguing with Hermione at one point, Millicent was quick to throw her hands at her but got pushed away by Harry.

There was something about that girl that even Dumbledore seemed to intrigue, seeing that she had never been on his bad side before like Ella had.

Ella was standing on the other side of the courtyard while she took in Theodore and Millicent chatting. She didn't want to interrupt them. She noticed Theodore smiling, and a warmth filled her. Something she hadn't felt in a long time. Especially not coming from him.

Maybe Dean was right, she just needed to talk to him, explain her nightmares – sort everything out. Hopefully then she was able to look at him the way she used to, with comfort.

When Millicent finally walked off, Theodore took another hit of his cigarette before he threw it on the ground. This was her chance. She walked up to him and before he could try to walk away from his spot; she was already standing in front of him.

His face tightened, the smile she had seen on his face just a couple of seconds ago had completely disappeared. He put both his hands in his pockets and raised his brow. Ella had been standing in front of him for a while without saying a single word.

He didn't seem to mind waiting for her to speak, but he also didn't feel the need to start the conversation himself. It would probably be his fear of rejection, since all she had done these couple of days was straight up avoiding him.

Ella blinked, "Hi."

"Hey."

"Could I have one?"

He frowned his brows; he didn't understand her. "A cigarette." She explained. He pulled his pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket and pointed it open at her. She lifted a cigarette out and then he gave her his lighter. She lit it up and felt another cough fill her throat. She did her best to push it away, but she could just manage that barely.

"I didn't know you smoked." he stated.

"I don't. I tried my first one yesterday." Theodore nodded, "Adrian gave me one."

"Adrian? Since when do you two know each other?"

"We met twice. Do you know him?"

"Of course, I know him. We used to be friends before it got – complicated." He pulled his hands out of his pockets and crossed them. "You know he's two years older than you, right?"

"So?"

Theodore opened his mouth to talk but then closed it again. His lips were pressed against each other and he scanned his eyes over her face. He avoided looking directly back into her eyes, but he didn’t face the other way like normally. He kept his eyes sticked onto her face, Ella could feel the glance move through her skin. "You shouldn't be hanging out with him." He finally spoke.

"Why not?"

"Doesn't matter, Black. Was there something you wanted to tell me or? Because I was just on my way to the others."

Ella noticed that her cigarette was burning for a while and she ticked off the ash. She watched it move down through the air and she stepped backwards to make sure it didn't fell onto her shoe. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that night, but if you're busy it can wait."

"You can talk."

"Okay, eh," Ella ticked again on her cigarette. "Could you tell me about you and Daphne?" Wrong fucking choice of words, Ella thought. Theodore raised his brow, which was barely relaxed for twenty seconds, and she quickly said, "Not the details! I mean... Where?"

It was hard for her to find the right question to ask, but it seemed that Theodore wasn't feeling it at all. He seemed to be offended by the question and it was even visible by the growing vein on his forehead. "You're kidding, right? What kind of question is this?’’

"I know it sounds stupid, it's just – I need to know."

"You need to know the details of when I had sex with Daphne?"

"No! Not like that. Well, it's a little bit like that... But not like that!"

"Make sense, Black."

Ella sighed, "I keep on having nightmares every single night." Theodore's vein slowly faded. "It's about Harry. He talks to me and his face is burned and every time I try to escape from him, he grabs me and hurts me."

"I didn't know that."

"Nobody does. I just told Dean yesterday and that's actually why I'm here." Ella inhaled deeply. "The nightmares start with you. At first, they seemed as a normal day in class, you were sitting next to me and suddenly you changed into Harry and since then I'm having a hard time to separate you from the nightmares." She tried to laugh it off and said while smiling – “That's why I was avoiding you."

Theodore didn't seem to find it as amusing, so she continued with a numb face. "He thinks that I somehow connect you with Harry's death because you were there. He thinks that I blame you because you were at that tree with Daphne while – Harry was laying behind it."

Ella looked into his eyes, he looked back this time. She waited for him to answer her, but she was so scared it would've been the wrong one.

"He wasn't there."

"He wasn't?"

"As much as I don't want to give you much more details – I've been behind the tree, in front of the tree, beside the tree… I'm pretty I've crossed every area around that tree, and he wasn't there."

Ella swallowed and looked beside his head while sucking on her own lips in anxiety. It was her question but now that she could imagine him doing whatever he did by that tree, she wished she hasn’t asked. 

"If you don't believe me you could always ask Daphne. She wasn't as drunk as I was."

"Of course, I believe you, Theo. I never said I didn't."

"Great. Was there something else?"

"No."

He forced his mouth to form a little smile before he walked past her. Ella felt unsatisfied. She expected more somehow. Not a big cheer or a hug but more than – this.

"I went to Hogsmeade with Draco." She spoke out rapidly. The tone in her voice could make anyone believe that she wasn’t supposed to. As if she had rules to obey and she had just broken one. 

Theodore stopped walking but didn't turn his head to face her. Ella did turn and she was now talking to his tightened back. "Aberforth is dead. Draco and I were searching for the envelope that you and I had to bring him the other day. When we came there, we met a few of Tom’s followers who had killed him. We couldn’t find the envelope though; I think he had it hidden before that.’’ 

Ella noticed a movement in his shoulders. Theodore was now turning to face her back. "When we came back, Dumbledore beat me." Her voice started to crack. "I've never been beaten like that in my life before. I couldn't do anything back, I felt worthless and I think I'm exhausted." She smiled again, laughing about it even. Tears started to build up in her eyes as she continued speaking. "I'm exhausted." She clarified.

She didn’t have to share this. She was only going to tell him about the nightmares that caught a wedge between them. She wanted to keep everything else to herself but when Theodore walked past her, she felt unsatisfied. Her body and mind wanted her to continue talking, telling him everything she’s been going through. 

She wasn’t sure if it would do any good but at this rate, she was just letting her lips move the words out without thinking about it. She wanted him to know now, maybe understand her even. She wasn’t looking for empathy from him, she was just looking for someone to pour her heart out to and Theodore was the only one she felt like she was able to. 

"I lost my father, the only family I had, because everyone else is either death, hiding or in prison. Then I found out that Harry is my family and I lost him as well." Her face muscles started to tighten; her brows were pushed down onto her eyes as she narrowed them. Her face expression had changed from relaxed – numb, to red - angry. "Then I have this thing I have to decode for my father and I'm literally nowhere, and even I was what I could possibly do about it?" She moved her eyes away from his shoulders, up to his eyes. 

"And then I lost you." Her face was still reflected by anger but if you looked closely, you could see a tear holding itself onto her waterline. 

Theodore looked down at the ground and sighed, "You never lost me, Black."

"Then why does it feel like I did?"

"Because you're you. It's always you thinking and never asking."

Ella smiled and wiped away the tear from her waterline with her thumb. Theodore stepped closer and grabbed her hand. He pulled the cigarette, which was almost entirely burned out, from between her fingers and threw it on the ground. They stood there, just an inch away from each other, without saying another word. Ella felt the warmth off his body onto her own, a tension was rising between the two of them and she blinked several times before he stepped backwards.

"Do you want to go with me to the others? If you tell them what you've told me, they wouldn't be mad at you anymore."

Ella shook her head. "I have to tell Hermione first. I owe her that much." Theodore nodded and walked away from her.

~  
"Hermione?" Ella stood in front of her – already opened – dormitory door, with her knuckles against it. Hermione looked up as she was with her nose down in her just freshly washed clothes. It was piled up on her bed on the left and on the right, she had a few already folded ones. 

"Hey. I haven't seen you in a while." She said. Hermione took out a pair of jeans and folded them onto her bed.

Ella walked inside and crossed her arms nervously. "I know, I've been avoiding you."

"God, I hadn't noticed." She giggled her sarcastic comment out.

"I know it's not an excuse, but I was going through some things and I have been keeping it a secret from you." Hermione walked to her desk and opened her drawer. She took out a small card and walked to Ella. "Mad-Eye gave me this the other day. I had to give it to you, but I couldn't keep up with you."

Ella took the card out of her hands and read what was written on the paper.

I noticed you haven't done the Manipulation assignment yet, Ms Black. I expect your assignment as soon as possible on my desk.   
\- Mad-Eye

Ella sighed. Just when she thought she didn't have to do that stupid assignment anymore. Hermione continued folding without giving her a glance. "Ron asked about you. He was hoping I'd take you and Harry to his brothers’ birthday next month."

Ella felt her body ache. Hermione wasn’t aware of anything. In some way it bothered her more that Hermione was clueless, the smack would've been harder than if she had already caught onto something, anything. Hermione now faced her, confused to why Ella hadn't answered her yet. "Harry hadn't replied yet but do you want to go?"

"Hermione, I have to tell you something about Harry," Ella looked down at the ground. She wanted to lean against the door frame, but she wasn't sure that her body posture would show the right amount of respect that way. A slight twinkle in Hermione's eyes made Ella believe that she was nearly caught on. Not about what actually had happened, but something in her had light up. 

Her voice cracked, "He's dead, Hermione.’’ 

Hermione jerked her shoulders. "What?" Her voice was crooked.

"He's been dead since the Yule party. I've found him and I couldn't bare telling you, or anyone for that matter."

"My best friend has been dead for all these days and you couldn't bare to tell me?"

"I'm so sorry, Hermione."

Hermione stood still in front of her. She bit the inside of her cheek before she spoke, "Leave." Ella stood nervously still until she repeated, "Leave!"

Ella nodded and walked back out of her dormitory. Hermione followed her and smashed the door closed. Whatever happened behind that door, Ella wasn't aware of, but she had a great imagination that it wasn't a happy scene to witness.

Ella could do nothing other than wait for Hermione to be ready to face her again. She hated herself for keeping Harry’s death a secret all this time. She should've gone to Hermione the instance she found his body, even before she had burned it to ash.

But it's easy thought and said, on that moment itself nothing like that crossed her mind. She was egoistic in every way, she only thought about herself and her loss. Even after that night she only thought about her pain and her troubles. She hated herself for it, she just hoped that Harry hadn't looked down on her to hate on her too.

~

Now that she had spent most her day apologizing to everyone and laying her issues on the table, she was on her way to Theodore's dormitory to do it a third time. Even though she never really was a person to struggle with showing her feelings, ever since she started having real problems to be hurt over, sharing them seemed as more a burden than having them in the first place.

Her legs seemed heavier as she walked in the hall where his dormitory was. She saw the door open from the end of the hall already, and Cedric stumbled out with a beer in his hand.

He turned to the side Ella was coming from and he raised his hand in the air. "Look who's finally out of her stinky room!"

Ella walked up to him, "My room doesn't stink."

"That's what they all say, maybe I should take a smell for myself."

"You're drunk." Ella giggled. "And you are not, so who is really in the wrong here?" He held his hands beside his face and pushed his shoulder up. Ella grabbed the bottle of beer out of his hand and said, "Then you won't mind me taking this?"

"You can take everything." Ella giggled again and noticed Theodore walking out of the room. He looked both sides to find Cedric and said: "Ced, I’m going do you- Hey! You're here." - when he noticed Ella behind Cedric.

"I'm here," Ella held up her bottle of beer as greeting. "Give me that," Theodore grabbed the bottle of beer out of her hands, "There's something drinkable for you inside."

"Hey! Give the lady her beer back." Cedric said.

"She hates beer you twit." Theodore moved his hand through Cedric's hair to mess it up. "How did your conversation with Hermione go?" he crossed his arms the bottle of beer was sticked underneath his arm.

"She threw me out."

Ella sucked her lips in and nodded after he said, "Ouch. Sorry." 

"It's fine. I didn't expect anything else."

"Well, I hope you two will sort it out. I do have to make a quick errand now though, but you can just go in. Everyone is there."

Ella nodded and watched him walk away before she looked back at Cedric. How the fuck was she supposed to tell her sad story about Harry's ghost haunting her while everyone was drunk and partying?

Cedric shifted on his legs. "Do I need to know?" Ella sighed, "Yes. But I don’t feel like telling it twice this evening." She petted him on his shoulder and walked to the door. It felt like she was going into a lion’s den, a suicide mission of some sort. These people inside were all mad at her and she was going to walk in on them partying. They didn't even want her to sit with them during breakfast, why would they want her now?

It was an expression she didn't think she was going to get in the first place. She didn't expect them to be mad at her for avoiding. They weren't supposed to be that upset, or care as much, she thought. But it seemed that even though she was in a school full of psycho's, loyalty was still a big factor she had to maintain.

Cedric walked inside before her and she followed. As soon as she stepped inside the room a big walm of normal smoke mixed with weed invaded her nostrils. The air was blue, and she noticed Blaise forming circles as he exhaled the smoke of his joint.

Pansy was the first to notice her. She was sitting on Draco's bed, dressed in a little black dress with small straps to hold it together. Her hair was curled, and her makeup was dark. She had a black smoky eye and a black winged liner. She shifted her leg over her other and leaned her arms on her thigh. "You've got to be kidding me." She said.

The others now pointed their eyes on Ella as well. She was set in the spotlight and she didn't like it. She felt the need to walk out of the room again and hide on her own. Not because she was scared of them or intimidated, she was just tired. 

Blaise was now sitting up straight. Crabbe and Goyle's eyes grew bigger, they were hoping for another backlash from the two. Draco who sat beside Pansy didn't seem to be bothered at all. He was typing on his phone and his eyes were the only one which were not focused on her.

Ella inhaled deeply. She was not going to leave the room. She was not going to give into her avoiding instinct. She had to stop being tired and sorry for herself and start facing them. All of them. She walked into the room and grabbed the cup that Cedric had poured her. "What do you think you're doing?" Pansy asked.

"Having a drink." Ella stated. She lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip while facing Pansy. Pansy stood and pulled her dress down, making Ella shift her eyes to the underneath of her dress before she elegantly walked over to Ella. Ella let her cup down and looked back in Pansy's brown eyes. She grabbed the cup out of her hands and Cedric stepped in.

"Don't be like that, Pans. She's one of us."

Pansy tilted her head to him. "You are only here because this is your room. Don't ever mistake that with being one of us." She now turned her face back to Ella. "And you were one but you’re not anymore. We aren't just here when it suits you, Ella."

"I know. I didn't mean it like that."

"Please, enlighten us. How did you mean it? Because the way I see it, you used us so you wouldn't be alone in the beginning. And now suddenly since you're besties with Harry and Hermione, we don't matter anymore."

"Is that how you think it is?"

"Yes."

"I didn't use any of you."

Goyle who had moved himself closer to Ella, now poured his drink over her. Showing it off as an 'accident'. Ella jerked up and swiped the cold liquid off her shirt. She looked at Goyle who struggled to keep his laugh in as he apologized. She looked over to Blaise, who giggled as well, then to Pansy who had crossed her arms with a big smirk on her face.

"Seriously? That's just childish." Ella spatted.

Cedric grabbed a towel from the bathroom, but Ella declined his offer. She had her finger raised at him before he could come any closer. As she bit the inside of her cheek, she had her eyes closed. She had to remember herself that she came here to make things right, not worse.

She opened her eyes again, meeting Pansy's. Ella's voice changed to one she didn't recognize herself. The muscles in her faces had relaxed, making her expression numb to the others.

"I was not avoiding you because I suddenly became besties with Harry and Hermione. I was avoiding you because Harry is dead. I've burned his lifeless body to the ground, and I couldn’t tell anyone because the only thing I hear here is how to hide my weaknesses.’’ 

Pansy shifted on her other leg, with her arms still crossed. "It might not mean much to you that he’s dead, but it does to me. So, I'm sorry that while I was going trough that; while still attending classes and getting beaten up by the fucking headmaster, I didn't have the energy to talk to you."

Draco's head got lifted and for the first time that evening he looked at her. Pansy struggled with finding words to say. She seemed to be wrong about the situation and she wasn't sure how to react to it.

Goyle was the first to speak, "I'm sorry I poured that drink on you."

"It's fine." Ella said without looking at him.

Without a warning, Pansy had thrown her arms around Ella's neck. Ella's eyes widened as she didn't expect the sudden feeling of Pansy's skin against hers. She felt her breasts press against her own and she got squashed between her little but powerful neck and shoulder.

After a few seconds of just awkwardly standing there, she let her chin rest on Pansy's shoulder and hugged her back. "A loss is a loss; you shouldn't excuse yourself for grieve." She whispered.

Ella nodded and her eyes met Draco's. He looked angry, the vein in his neck was pumping and he bi his cheek so hard that it seemed as if he was about to bite himself a hole through it. Ella slowly pushed Pansy off her and Pansy grabbed her arms.

"Next time tell us. Friendship and loyalty mean a lot to us. We might or – I might seem heartless and rude, but I'll always be there for you." She tilted the stolen cup to her lips and said playfully, "Just don't expect me to hug you everyday now."

~

An hour had gone by and everything seemed to be back to normal. They spoke a little more about it before they all decided to let it be and enjoy the evening. Ella had way too much to drink and she was now dancing beside Cedric. She held her cup in the air as she swirled onto the beat. Suddenly she felt someone pull her beside and she stumbled her way to the person who pulled her. The alcohol in her system was showing as she struggled to stand steady on her legs. She bumped against a masculine body and eventually looked up at Draco. He was leaned against the wall while he had pulled her closer. She was standing a bit closer than he intended to, but they were both too drunk to even realize.

He moved his hand into her neck, pushed her head a bit to the side and made way to her ear. The music was loud, so he had to speak directly into her ear otherwise she wouldn't be able to hear; is what she told herself, but she was just too drunk to listen. 

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Ella rested her hand as well in his neck and moved her lips close to his ear. "Tell you what?"

"That Harry died."

"Did you want me to?’’

He let his face hang in her neck for a while to think about what he was going to answer. Normally he wouldn’t have his answer ready the second she had asked a question. But it seemed that right now, he was struggling whether to tell the truth or to lie.

He pouted his lips together before he opened them to say; ‘’No.’’ 

She pulled her head away from his ear and held her hands up in the air. She raised her shoulders and stepped backwards. Draco grabbed her waist and pulled her back close to him. "You still should've told me." He whispered in her ear. His warm breath on her skin was influencing her body in a way that not even an entire bottle of vodka could have had. She felt the alcohol swim through her veins and as it speeded up, her blood started boiling, making feel like she was on fire.

"We never talk, Draco."

He locked his eyes with hers and his hand was still on her waist. She felt his fingertips just barely on the small line of exposed skin underneath her dried up shirt.

"You reek of alcohol." He said. He grabbed the underneath of her shirt; on the spot it was supposed to be wet. Showing her exactly what he meant.

"So, do you." Ella moved her eyes away from his and down to his lips. Showing him what she meant, but it was another part as he had shown. Her mind was blurred, and she felt tingles in her entire body. For a moment she felt the same feelings she felt in her dreams. She wanted to pull him closer to her, feel the warmth of his body consume her completely.

She wanted to feel his lips onto hers. His fingertips onto her bare skin, grasping and squeezing every inch of it. She felt herself move closer to his face, she wasn't sure if she meant to do that or that her body was moving by itself.

"Theo!! You're back!" Pansy yelled above the music.

The sound of her voice pulled Ella out of her moment and she stepped backwards quickly, as if someone had pinched her. She looked over her shoulder to the door opening. Theodore was smiling at Pansy before his eyes were locked onto hers, making his smile fading immediately.


	15. Real-life comfort character

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: RAPE 
> 
> If this triggers you, I will mark the scene with a trigger warning. This scene IS important in further chapters but you won't have to read the actual scene for it.
> 
> There will be mention of it through out further chapters, I will do my best to put a * before every alinea that mentions it so that if it triggers you, you'll be able to skip over it.

"You've been gone long." Ella shouted through the music. The music sounded very loud to her, but it seemed it was just her since Theodore squeezed his eyes as symptom of the pain in his ears by her shouting. 

Theodore put his hands in his pockets and smirked, "Did you miss me, Black?" Ella rolled her eyes and walked up to him. "I told them about Harry. I think we're good now." Theodore looked down at her shirt. He pointed his finger at the spot on it and asked: "What happened to your shirt?"

"Goyle poured me a drink." Ella said with a sigh. Theodore smirked again and she playfully pushed him against his shoulder. "I actually think I'm going to go outside for a bit. Blaise's smoke is too much for my lungs to handle."

"You want me to come?"

"No, you just came back. I'll just be gone for like five minutes." He nodded and she walked past him.

When she was outside, she let herself rest on the bench beside the large tree. There was a small breeze that moved her hair along her face. She slowly lifted her arm to pull it behind her ear. Her eyes were locked on the large tree in front of her. It stood there so silently but it felt as if it was her number one enemy. 

She had gone through a lot of enemies that day. She talked to Theodore, Hermione, and the entire squad. 

She let her eyes move over its wood up to its branches. There was one other enemy she had to face; her post traumatic stress that the tree had caused her. Then she could really call it a productive day. 

She pushed herself up and walked closer to the tree. She let her finger investigate over its wood and she walked around it. When she was at the spot where she had found Harry, she stood still and looked down at the ground.

"Fuck you, Harry." She whispered.

She kneeled and laid herself down on her back on the grass. Her body was fitted in the exact spot Harry had laid. She breathed in and looked up at the sky. She wasn't even aware of the time, but she imagined it somewhere around 3AM.

She exhaled before she inhaled deeply again, imagining it as the same air Harry would have breathed as his last. 

She noticed a figure walking up to her, but she had no power to lift her head to look. "Do I want to know why you're laying on the ground here by yourself?" It was Adrian's voice.

"I'm having a moment." Ella wasn't sure is she was the one talking or that the alcohol had taken over that part of her as well. She was still drunk and now that she was laying on the ground, it seemed to rise further up her head.

She heard his footsteps come closer and he had laid himself down beside her. "I went outside because I couldn't sleep. I thought maybe a cigarette would help me and then I saw you laying on the ground. I had to come up to you."

She kept staring at the sky, questioning where she asked him about that. "Please, as if this is the weirdest thing you've seen someone do at Hogwarts." She exclaimed. 

"It isn't the weirdest, but it's a first." He sighed. "I like this though. I will do more often. Laying on the grass, looking up at the sky. It's peaceful."

"It is."

She moved her head to the side to look at Adrian's side profile. "Why couldn't you sleep?" He moved his head to the side as well and they now locked eyes. "Thinking."

"You're a thinking? I wouldn't have guessed."

He laughed, "That's almost disrespectful. I'll have to get you back for that one."

Ella let out a drunk giggle. If she was sober, she probably wouldn't have laughed about it but somehow with alcohol in your system, everything seems more joyful. "And you? Why are you laying here?" he asked her.

"I was having a party actually. You know, irresponsible drinking and dancing. That kind of stuff."

"And you needed a break?"

"Exactly."

He smirked. "I'm offended you didn't ask me. I wanted to see you dance."

"I'm the best dancer, you're really missing out."

"Show me."

"Now? You're crazy. If you didn't notice, I am actually trying to enjoy nature."

"I see. And why did you choose this particular spot to enjoy it on?"

"Because this tree is large, and I thought that people couldn't see me. Guess I was wrong."

"They can't. Just I did because my normal smoking spot is right over there." Adrian raised his arm and pointed right in front of them. "Ah, so you're a stalker?" A sigh of disbelief exited his mouth. "You think I'm a stalker now?"

"Yes."

"You don't seem to mind having a stalker lay next to you."

"That's were you're wrong. I just don't have the energy to stand up." A joke, she said that sentence as a joke but for some reason Adrian saw it as an invitation. His eyes grew bigger and he rotated his entire body towards her.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
TW: RAPE  
—————-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ella fell still as he moved his body closer to her. She wasn't sure if he was just getting into a more comfortable position, but she felt the same alarming tingling in her body as the time that he had touched her back.

Without a warning, he had put his hand on her cheek and pulled her head closer to his. Before she realized, he had his lips pressed against hers. She pulled her head back, but he had moved his hand behind her neck, pulling her closer to him.

She now pushed her hands against his chest, while moving her head to the side. She was drunk, but not drunk enough to want to make out with this boy. He needed to stop.

He started to get more aggressive and he pushed his tongue against her lips. She pressed them close and she felt his wet saliva stick onto her lips. "Adrian, stop!" She muttered, but he saw that as a chance to stick his tongue into her mouth. She felt the warm muscle fight its way through her mouth and she had the urge to throw up by the feeling of it.

She started kicked her legs – he really needed to stop now; this was getting out of hand – but he was quick to lock them beneath his own. He had now half his body onto hers and she felt his other hand move onto her tights. She was in total shock. She didn't expect this to happen, ever. Why hadn’t she listened to her own gut? Or to Theodore when he told her to stay away from him. 

Did he know?

Adrian's hand pushed itself between her legs, even though she tried to push them to each other, the alcohol in her system seemed to have weakened her. Even though her entire body was numb by it, her mind was wide awake, and she realized everything.

She started to yell but he pushed his hand against her mouth. "Shut up." He spit at her. His fingers found their way up to her cooch and he started circling them around. She lifted her knees, trying to hit him but there was no use. He was way too strong for her and the position she was laying in made her useless.

He roughly pulled her pants down and placed his fingers back on her knickers. "You like that?" He asked out of breath. He was hungry for it, the tone in his voice was filled with lust. Aggressive lust.

She shook her head, but he didn't care about it. He moved his hand inside her knickers and the cold of his hand jerked her. He smirked, thinking she enjoyed it. He moved two fingers in, not even slowing anything down. He moved his fingers up and down while he pressed his thumb hard onto her skin.

She stopped moving and looked in his eyes, begging him to stop. "See? You enjoy it." He whispered. She shook her head again and bit into his palm. He pulled his hand off and cursed. "Fucking bitch!" He pulled his hand out of her knickers and slammed his fist into her face. Her head was moved to the side and she felt a tear roll down her cheek. ‘’I wanted to pleasure you, but I see that you’re an ungrateful bitch.’’ 

From there he showed no remorse. He unbuckled his trousers and laid himself on top of her. He pushed her legs open and when she tried to kick them around again, another fist was thrown at her face. She started crying heavily now. Was she just going to lay there while he put his junk in her? But what could she really do?

Her lip was bouncing, it was the spot he had hit her the second time. She felt her lip swollen and her tears burned on the little cut that had appeared in the corner of her mouth.

Her knickers got pulled down and before she got a warning, he had pushed himself inside. She cried with noise now, loud, and painful.

Another slap landed on her face, twice and the third time. Her face now felt entirely numb, she couldn't even feel her tears anymore. Her mouth opened and a silent cry for help got out.

Adrian bounced up and down and she felt his cock investigate her insides. It hurt her, it felt as if her entire cooch got stretched open. It felt like the outsides of her skin got ripped open and the touch of his cock against her insides felt like a knife tearing against her insides. It was burning, it was really fucking painful.

She was dry, the movement that was going on in her lower body felt like an eternity. She wanted it to stop but all she could do was cry. She closed her eyes as the feeling of sandpaper scratched against her. 

He lifted her shirt up and rested his hand on one of her breasts. She pushed his hand off and started kicking with her knees again, but another hit in her face made her completely still. She had no power anymore to move, her entire body was in pain and she felt numb through out.

All she felt was his cock inside of her. She tried, did she? Could she do more? Was there a way to get him off? The feeling of uselessness filled her. She clamped onto it, the feeling of self-doubt and hate was a better feeling than this, than him raping her. 

He fastened his speed and she heard him moan through his breath. She tried to squeeze her eyes further closed but they already were. Hearing him enjoy this made it even worse for her. His moans filled her ears and it was a sound she already knew she would never be able to forget.

His other hand was on her hip and he squeezed her skin in his hand. His speed fastened more, his mouth opened, and his moans got louder. Was he- coming? Inside of her?!

She felt his grip on her hip tighten and his moan was longer than his others, louder and more painful to hear. "Oh, fuck." She felt her inside fill with warm liquid and he pulled his cock out. She didn't dare to look; she didn't want to see what just had happened.

Adrian squeezed the top of his cock to let drip out the last bits of cum, to eventually wipe it off on her thigh. He pulled her knickers back up, leaving her insides still filled with his cum. He pulled his own trousers back up and stood. He let his hand hang out to her, as ‘kind gesture’ to help her stand up.

She had her head still faced to the side, not giving him a single glance. "Fine, stand up yourself then." He smirked and walked away, leaving her laying there. 

Broken and shattered like glass.

It took her a while before she had the energy to pull her pants up and push herself off the ground. When she steadied herself on her legs, she almost collapsed by the pain between her thighs. She was still crying, painfully and soft. She had her hand against the tree to help her stand.

She was shaking on her legs, but she forced herself to move. She felt the cum move out of her cooch and she felt more and more disgusted by every step she took. Defeated and used, she sniffed and wiped away the tears off her face. She couldn't walk in like this; she couldn't continue partying like this. 

She didn't expect herself to break her promise to the group that soon.

She stumbled through the corridors of Hogwarts, back to her room. After she had locked the door behind her, she undressed herself quickly. She threw her shirt, pants and knickers in the trash can. She didn't want to keep them, she wanted them gone.

She walked to the bathroom naked and she spend an hour inside. She washed every inch of herself, her skin, and her cooch. She let her fingers clean every inch of her inside, but she couldn't feel clean. She still felt his cock burn inside her, as if it was still in her.

She started crying again, her tears mixed with the water of her shower. She started rubbing aggressively against her cooch, but it didn't help. She let herself fall through her knees, sitting herself on her behind in the middle of the spray. She lifted her knees up and hugged them. She hid her face in the gap between het knees and her chest. She cried, she cried so painfully, her cries from before where nothing like this. 

Her entire body bounced up and down, her ribs tightened by every inhale of oxygen between her sobs and her eyes were burning by all the salt from her tears.

After the hour, she finally stepped out. She walked past the mirror, got a glimpse of her again swollen face – just when the cut on her cheek had healed, and turned away from her own reflection. She was mad at herself. It was her own fault, wasn't it? She felt that he was bad new the second she saw him in Madam Hooch' classroom. Her alarm bells had rung the very first day she met him but still she decided to talk to him, let him in. Because she was lonely.

She dried herself off and stepped into more comfortable clothes; Her thick and comfy pyjama set with long pants and long sleeves. She then walked into her room which suddenly felt bigger. More lonely. Stranger.

She looked at the door as if it could be thrown open any second, even though she had locked it.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
END OF TW   
———--------------------------------------------------------------------

She took her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Still, she only had Ron's number in her phone and Hermione's, because of him. She decided to do some stalking and went to Hermione's Instagram page. She never used Instagram. She only had the app because everyone on her past school had it. She just wanted to be as normal as them. She never posted, never liked anyone else’s posts. She was just having it to have. 

She scrolled through Hermione’s followers and caught on the person she wanted to reach. Her finger moved over her screen and clicked on the blue follow button, to see it change white and to following.

A couple of second later she received a notification that she was followed back. She opened the direct message and started typing on her screen. As she typed the words, tears kept rolling over her cheeks. She couldn't stop, even if she wanted to.

The thought of her promise to the group rippled through her mind. Don’t be like that, Ella. ‘’It’s okay, I’m fine.’’ She whispered to herself. She sighed and re-read her message. Was she really going to send it? Did she want to? She looked up from her phone, scanning her room again. 

It was colder, greyer. She didn’t feel connected with her room, as if it wasn’t hers. Her belongings felt different, as is she had only lent them. 

She looked back at her screen and clicked the send button. 

Ten minutes later, a knock on the door jerked her up. She was standing in front of her window with her arms crossed. She hesitated to open; she was scared it would be Adrian again. Multiple images flooded her mind, of him above her, his face that tightened when he came – 

"Ella, it's me."

A sigh of relief exited her mouth and she ran to the door. She unlocked it and swept it open. In front of her was Theodore standing. He had his hands in his pockets and when he saw her swollen face and dried up tears, he pulled them out to touch her. Ella jumped back and he immediately apologized.

"Are you okay?" He asked quieter.

Ella shook her head and tears started flowing out of her eyes again. He walked inside the room and closed the door behind him, "May I?" He looked at her and she nodded. He then stepped closer and pulled her into a hug. "Please, don't let me talk about it already." There were cracks in her voice, and she sniffed multiple times as now the inside of her noise was flowing as well.

She felt him nod onto her head. "You don't have to."

She closed her eyes as she felt her body slowly relax in his. Her mind was all over the place but there was one thing she did know she wanted. 

She pulled her head away from his chest and looked up at him. "I,"

He moved a strand of hair behind her ear, showing her the patience she needed him to show. "I don't want to be alone." She whispered.

"Then you won't be alone."

Ella pushed herself away from his hug and locked the door. Even though Theodore was there, she had to lock it. She didn't feel safe anymore with her door open.

Pretty fast after he had come in, she already laid herself in bed. Theodore was sitting on the chair in front of her and she was curled up under her blankets. She had her eyes closed but opened them again to see Theodore falling asleep on the chair. They hadn’t talked about what had happened, not about anything really. He had just sat himself down and watched her as she laid silent in her bed. 

There was no talking, no sound at all. He just watched her, watched over her as she was about to sleep. 

"You don't have to sleep on the chair." She whispered. "It's fine." Theodore muttered with his eyes closed and his chin leaning in the palm of his hand. "I can’t ask you that, Theo.’’ 

‘’Good thing you’ve never asked.’’ He smirked with his eyes still closed. 

She let her eyes wander over his eyelids. His long dark lashes, she never realized how beautiful they were. ‘’I’m asking now,’’ she whispered more quieter than before. 

His eyes slowly opened, watching her for a while before he nodded and stood. He took his shoes off and climbed over her. He pushed the blanket to her, so that he wasn't laying on top nor underneath.

Ella turned to face him and lifted the blanket up. He looked at her surprised, hesitating even. "It's cold." She whispered. His lip curled in a smile and he moved his body underneath the blanket. Ella laid the blanket down over his shoulders and moved her arm back underneath her head. 

Theodore was in this moment the only person she felt comfortable with. Her entire skin ached, every sudden move scared her, but Theodore could do all of that. She wasn't afraid that he'd suddenly start touching her on the wrong places. She never had. He never made any attempt to, he always cared for her and comforted her. Theodore was her real-life comfort character.

The others, it wouldn't have felt the same. The boys were not close enough with her and Pansy wouldn't make her feel as safe as she felt with Theodore now. Hermione had the same reason, and Draco...

He would overwhelm her.

He watched her get beaten and cry on the ground without giving a single expression of empathy. He wouldn't have come if she asked him. He wouldn't have cared, and she also wasn't sure if she would have accepted his touch.

Before what had happened, she ached for him. She wanted him to touch her, warm her, get close to her. But now that all seemed too overwhelming. She needed peace and quiet, she needed Theodore.

She moved her body closer to Theodore and hid her face in his chest. She felt his heartbeat fasten and he slowly moved his arm over her shoulder. He held her tight against his chest and his chin was on top of her head.

She felt him relax more, her heartbeat was slowing down. He seemed tightened in the beginning. They both were. But now, in this moment, they seemed to be more at peace. She wasn't the only one who needed this, he did as well. But Theodore had needed this for way longer than she had.

Ella's eyes started to slowly close and she felt herself fading away. The pain in her body faded, his arm on her shoulder faded, and her mind that was connected to the world seemed to have gotten lost.


	16. R.A.B.

Young Ella sat by herself in the middle of the big mall. She had her eyes on her father who was talking to her aunt just a couple of meters away from her. Sirius seemed angry, his words were inaudible, but she could clearly see he was shouting. Bellatrix swiped her curls over her shoulder carelessly. She raised her hand at Sirius, and he stopped talking.

Bellatrix was talking now, she didn't seem mad, but she always had an intimidating tone in her voice. Ella could already hear it. The feeling made her uncomfortable and she shifted her legs while she had her palms pressed on her knees. Bellatrix then reached her hand in the little bag she had over her shoulder and took out a picture. She showed it to Sirius, but Ella couldn't see what was on it.

Sirius turned around with his hands pressed against his temples. He paced around for a minute before he walked back to her and pushed the pictures into her chest. He pointed his finger up, making the same movements he would whenever Ella did something she shouldn't have done.

Ella now looked at her lap. Both her little hands were resting on her thighs, holding a little woolen doll in her hands. The doll was small and had just one arm. The wool that represented its skin was brown, the wool of the hair was dark blue, the clothes were a mix of multiple colours; grey, white, pink, and purple. The shoes were red, and the eyes were drawn on with a marker.

Ella had made the doll herself with all the leftover wool she could find around the house. She curled her lip into a smile and whispered: "I think they're fighting."

"Are you talking to your doll?"

Ella looked up to see a young boy standing beside her. He had a big smile on his face and pointed at her doll. "Yes." Ella said.

"Cool, what's her name? Or is it a he?" He sat himself down beside her and grabbed the doll over.

"They have multiple names actually. Sometimes it's Yuri, or Bella. Named after my aunt."

"Multiple names? That's weird." He rotated the doll in his hands and threw it in the air to catch it back up. ‘’How can one have multiple names?’’ 

Ella got embarrassed and hid herself in her shoulders. She never realized that it was weird. She called them Yuri whenever she felt like needing comfort. Yuri was the sweet one, they always made her laugh and when she felt sad or lonely; Yuri was there. 

Bella was ruder, just like her aunt. That’s why she named them after Bellatrix. The doll helped her to get her grip onto reality back. When she was struggling, even if it was only her homework which she didn’t feel like making, Bella would help her do it. 

The boy now noticed an arm missing on the doll. "Why does it only have one arm?"

"I ran out of wool."

"Why didn't you use anything else? This is weird."

"Like what?"

The boy stood and looked around the ground. He bowed down to grab a small stick. He sat himself back down and pushed the stick in the doll where the other arm was supposed to be. Ella watched the sharp end of the stick press through her dolls little body and felt disgust in her body. "Ta da!"

"No! That’s ugly. The arms are supposed to be the same."

He frowned his brows, "It's not ugly, it makes them special."

Ella grabbed the doll out of his hands. "I don't want it." She pulled the stick out and threw it on the ground. "And who are you anyway?"

The boy seemed upset but then smirked as he said, ‘’I’m Dean Thomas.’’

~

"Mom, Ella is here." Dean shouted as soon as he stepped foot in the house. Ella followed him in and when Dean had pushed off his shoes, she did the same. The house was already known to her since it wasn't her first time to go home with Dean after school. It was just your average house. The wall was painted white on the outside as well as the inside. They had entered through the garage that was build next to the house. There was a door which directed you to the living room. 

Normally they would enter from the front door, but they were renovating the hall so for a while now they used the garage. 

Dean's mom adored her, ever since their meeting at the mall they were best friends. Since then they had spent almost every day together since they were on the same school’s ever since kinder garden. They were in high school now, junior year. Ella was happy to share her school years with Dean, she couldn’t imagine her days without him. 

When they entered the living room there was an older boy sitting on the couch. Ella had never seen him before, but he looked a lot like Dean. She greeted him and then looked down at his upper body. His right arm was cut off until his elbow, which was just a stomp. The sleeved of his shirt were short so it was a little bit hard for her not to notice it. She didn't say anything about it though, she thought that every comment could come off as rude since she had no idea how he felt about it. "Ella, this is Josiah, my brother." Dean introduced us.

"I didn't know you had brother! It's nice to meet you." She reached out her arm to shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you too, Ella. And Dean, I'm offended that you haven't talked about me." He faced Dean as soon as he let go of Ella's hand.

"There was nothing to say," Dean faced Ella. "He's not my mother's son. He's from my biological father’s side of the family, but they kicked him out when he was 18."

"And from there I was living my parent free life in college." Josiah said.

"Besides coming here every weekend to let mom wash your clothes and make you actual food."

They both started to laugh and soon after, Ella followed Dean upstairs to his room. He walked around searching for his latest project. Dean always loved making stuff, as a kid he already started.  
Now that he got older, he started building more advanced goodies. When he finally found his work, he showed it to Ella. It was a small square with multiple buttons on it.

"What is it?"

"Walk with me my lady." He turned to his desk where a bigger and open square was standing. The sides of the square were grey, probably made from metal. The square was built in a way that it was steady by its frame, but you were able to push your entire arm through.

He pointed the previous device towards it and clicked on a button. The frames of the bigger square started to light up and on the inside were now multiple purple lines moving around.

"Wow." Ella bowed down to take a better look at it. "You're saying that now, just wait until you see what it does." Dean walked to his closet and pulled the drawer open. Ella looked over her shoulder and watched him take out a piece paper and walk back to the desk. 

‘’Are you ready?’’ 

Ella nodded and looked back at the square. He let the paper down from the top, and as soon as it touched the purple line, it burned a hole through it.

"What the hell, Dean! That’s so cool!’’ She turned to face Dean, ‘’You’re so talented!’’ 

He turned the lights off and put the little device away, "Thank you."

Ella sat herself down on his bed and shoved the box with snacks from underneath it. She knew that he had a box of candies under his bed, he always had to hide it from his mom since she didn’t think it was healthy. Ella totally agreed with Dean, better hide it then. She grabbed a brown bag of M&M’s out of the box and shoved it back underneath. She reached her hand in and took out a couple. 

She opened her mouth, hung her head back and let it all fall on her tongue. When her head was back to its original position, she watched Dean put the square on the other side of his desk to make some space. ‘’Dean? Why did you start making these things?’’ 

Dean turned to her with his left brow raised. ‘’What do you mean?’’ 

‘’Like, when did you realize that you could build things like this?’’ 

‘’I don’t know. I just – wanted to, at some point. Then it just worked, and I kept learning, growing.’’ 

‘’It was your brother, wasn’t it?’’ 

Dean crossed his arms and sighed, ‘’It was. When he came to our house, it was the first time I saw him and learned about him. He told me about his arm and,’’ 

"What happened to his arm?"

"He was born like that. Sometimes it happens."

"Why isn't he getting a fake arm? What's it called again-"

"A prosthesis, and he wants to have one, but we just can't afford it." Dean laid himself on his back on the bed. Ella crossed her arms and stared down at him. ‘’I think that’s the main reason why I started building mechanics. I mean, when I was younger, I build things from scratch but – The mechanics and that square for example, it was all because of him.’’ 

Dean faced Ella, ‘’I want to build him that arm. I want to give him his normal life back.’’ 

~

Dean threw his arms around Ella and she almost lost her balance by his force. "You are an angel," he pulled himself back off her and stared into her eyes. "you know that, right?"

"It's nothing."

"Nothing? You changed his life! God, you saved our life!’’

Ella looked over her shoulder. She watched Josiah sobbing in Dean's mother's arms. Sirius was standing beside them and Josiah quickly turned to him and thanked him while his tears were still flowing.

"Thank my dad, it's his money after all."

Dean ran up to Sirius and started sobbing in his arms as well. Ella looked at the table beside her and grabbed the paper that she had just given to Josiah before he got emotional and walked away from it.

It was a check of £20.000 she had so effortlessly given to him. She moved her thumb over it and her lip curled into a smile. She was touched by Dean’s story the other day, of how he wanted to help his older brother even though he had just now started sharing his life with him. She already knew that Josiah was a nice kid from that Dean’s mother took him in so quick knowing that he wasn’t her son.

Ella couldn’t just be rich and not so anything good with it. It was the money that they had inherited when her uncle had died. He had left everything to Sirius and her, seeing they were the only ones of the family that he liked.

She saw the name of the bank account. R. A. Black. She realized that she wasn’t supposed to take that name in as much as she did just now. She frowned her brows and turned the check around. R.A.B, she remembered the initials. 

Ella woke up fast and out of breath. Her eyes were immediately wide open, and she felt the energy burst through her body. R.A.B. Her dream gave her the literal key to what she needed to know. Those initials, she remembered them because it was her uncle. 

She tilted her head up and watched Theodore. He was still asleep, peacefully. She let her eyes linger on his face, taking everything in. His long lashes, his dark bushy brows, his pointed nose, his slotted cheekbone, and the birthmark above it.

He seemed so peaceful; she didn't want to ruin it.

She rolled out of bed silently, making sure that she didn't wake him. When she stood on her legs, the pain between her thighs caught her off guard. She gasped and her entire body got stiff. For a second, she had forgotten her reality, but her pain made sure to remember.

She got dressed in the bathroom, grabbed her laptop from her closet and silently exited the room. It was Sunday morning, most students would still be in their dormitories, asleep, so she thought she could find her peace and quiet in the library as she wanted to do some more research on the Marauders map.

By focusing her mind on decoding it, she hoped to forget about the horrific images that still flooded her mind. Because her focus was pinned on her dream, she didn’t think about that night before. It was like she had totally forgotten until she felt the pain burn her back to reality. It made her think about it, as long as she was working on something, focusing on the map or anything else maybe, she would be able to push away the images and thoughts about Adrian.

So, that’s what she did.

Ella had walked herself to the library and set herself in the corner with her laptop in front of her. She opened the pictures she had taken, with her phone, on her laptop and zoomed in on the names of the Order. She had a piece of paper laying beside her and she started writing the names on it. For some reason, her brain decided to work on its full speed.

She crossed the names of the people that were already dead – that she knew off – that weren't already crossed off on the map. Starting with Aberforth and Petunia. Those she knew for sure were dead that Sirius wasn't aware of Aberforth, Petunia was probably just forgotten since it was before he went to prison. She added another name on the side, Regulus Arcturus Black.

She drew a line beside his name and started writing again, R.A.B.

She drew a line from Aberforth's name to the other side of the paper.

Aberfort > Keeper of the envelope.

She read through the names again. Most of them didn't ring a bell, it wouldn't have made sense if any of them would be useful to her. If Sirius really wanted her to decode the map, it would have been someone she could easily think of.

She thought back about her conversation with Remus Lupin. He had suddenly changed the conversation to Harry, that couldn't have been a coincidence. At least, that was what she was hoping for.

But Harry was dead, if that had meant that he was the key to decode the map, she was lost. Ella scanned her eyes on James' and Lily's name. It couldn't be them either, they were already crossed out on the wall. Sirius wouldn't have been so stupid to lead her to a dead person.

That left Petunia.

Ella drew another line from Petunia's name. But before she could write anything, she realized that Petunia had died before Dumbledore had send them to bring the envelope to Aberforth. He couldn't have given it to her to hide because she was already dead.

''Or that's exactly what others would think...'' She whispered to herself.

She moved her hands back onto her laptop and started typing in het search bar. 4 Privet Drive, Little Whining. Multiple articles popped up about their home.

TEENAGER KILLED ENTIRE FAMILY, REAL-LIFE HORROR HOUSE

Harry Potter, also known as the boy whose parents were brutally murdered a few years ago, has been last seen on 4 Privet Drive where his entire family was found dead. Police have stated that the house was a real-life horror house! Before the murder Harry Potter had lived with his uncle and aunt; Vernon Dursley, Petunia Dursley and their son Dudley Dursley.

The family was well known through out the town, both were addicted, and their son had a condition called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS).

Neighbours had stated that they had heard screams and cries coming from their home that night before they saw Harry Potter leave, covered in blood – 

Ella exited the article. She already knew the story; this wasn't going to help her. She clicked on images. There was nothing to find about the inside of the house, the police had kept most people away from the scene.

Ella looked at pictures of the outside of the house. It seemed to be an ordinary home, nothing special or weird about it. She then clicked back to the searches that had popped up. She read a lot about people who had tried to get inside, to see the scene. A real-life horror house, it was called. Of course, that would attract people, they seem to love these kinds of things as long as it doesn't happen to them.

Ella looked back at her paper and started writing.

Petunia Dursley > Possible hiding spot, envelope.

Now she had to make a plan. She wasn't just going in there without a plan just to get back at Hogwarts and get beaten up again. She needed to leave at night, when Dumbledore and everyone else for that matter, was asleep. She also would have to get in the house without getting caught by the police.

* For a short moment she was out of ideas. Her mind was blank which give her the space to let flashbacks of the night before in. She saw flashes of Adrian on top of her, she heard his moan back in her ears, she saw his face tighten and she felt his grip again on her hip.

She let her hand move onto her hip to make sure there was no actual hand on it. She sighed and pushed the images out of her mind. She had to focus harder on the map, she couldn't let those images in, ever.

''If the envelope is hidden in her home, where would it be?'' She whispered to herself.

But what if it wasn't in her home at all? She couldn’t just risk it without any clarification. Aberforth did know her, but he also knew that she was dead. Why would he hide an envelope in her home? Why didn't he just burn it if it wasn't supposed to fall in the wrong hands?

Ella let her head hang back. This was so hard, she wasn't smart enough for this, she thought. She needed help. 

She then put her focus back on Regulus. His initials were written over the wall a lot, which would mean he was important. She remembered what her grandmother had said when she had burned off his face from the wall.

He had tried to kill Tom, maybe that's why he's on the wall. He must have had some sort of plan to kill him, and he must have told Sirius about it.

She started typing on her laptop again. This time she typed in Regulus Arcturus Black. She found a few sites that mentioned him. She knew that her uncle was a writer, but she had never read anything of his work. A few websites mentioned it and showed some quotes from his book. He wasn't a big writer; his books were very triggering for a lot of people, so the sales weren't that great.

She stumbled upon his latest work, Heathens. She was on a site that sold it, he had sold seventy-three of them, but his reviews all said the same:

Horrible!

4 stars.

This book is messed up, I've never read anything as dark as this one was!

They should put a trigger warning on it next time!!

Loved it but could be a little less dark.

Ella scrolled further down, hoping to find one that could somehow help her.

Never buying from this author again!

Worst book ever.

I hate this book, the only good thing about it was the made-up language that intrigued me.

Ella lifted her brow. Made up language? She read the summary of the book but there was nothing about the language mentioned in the review. She inhaled and moved her mouse to the blue buy button. She clicked on it, filled her information in, and when the confirmation of her payment popped up, she leaned back in her chair.

Her eyes now moved up from her laptop and she noticed Blaise walking into the library. He noticed her too and came up to her table. "Good morning sunshine." He sat himself down in front of her.

He had two books in his hand which he laid down in front of him. "I don't think I've ever seen you in the library before." Ella said.

"That's because I'm only here in the morning when your pretty face is still asleep." He opened one of his books and pulled out a paper that was hidden between the pages.

"Murder history?"

"Yep."

"You're studying? On Sunday morning?"

Blaise looked up from his book, "I always study in the mornings. How else do you think I get good grades?"

"Fair point."

Blaise raised his brows and chin as she tried to read what was written on Ella’s paper. "What are you working on?"

Ella looked at her paper and then at her laptop. She couldn't tell him about her plan, at least not until she got most of it figured out. "The Manipulation assignment." She lied. "Ah! What is your crime going to be?"

"I thought that this was an individual assignment."

"It will be our little secret." He whispered and winked at her.

Ella rolled her eyes, giving herself some time to think about another lie. "I'm thinking about a robbery. That won't be so hard I guess."

"Well, good luck with that."

He put his head back into his book. She watched him study for a while until her phone went off. She lifted it out of her pocket and Hermione's name popped up.

Come to my dorm  
\- Hermione

Ella bit her lower lip. She already knew that it wasn't going to be a pleasant meet up. It was going to be a talk about Harry. She grabbed her things, said her goodbye to Blaise and walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, to Hermione’s dormitory.

~

"I want to know more." Hermione said.

Ella sat on her bed with her legs crossed. Hermione had a private dormitory, just like Ella. Only her room had two beds, she probably used to have a roommate at some point. Ella's had just one, but her room was also smaller than the others. 

Beside that point, every dormitory was the same. They all had a private bathroom build to the room. Two beds, two wardrobes, two chairs and a window depending on which side your dormitory was. 

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything. From start to ending - where did you find him and how did he die?"

Ella watched Hermione placing herself on the other empty bed. She had her brows frowned and a serious look on her face. "I found him outside, in the courtyard. He was hidden behind the big tree."

"How did he die?"

"I'm not sure. He had a welt around his neck."

"A welt? From a robe?" Hermione spoke fast, after every said sentence of Ella she immediately knew how to reply.

"Theo thought that it could maybe be a suicide but-" Hermione interrupted her, "Harry wouldn't have killed himself."

"That's what I wanted to point out. There was no robe beside him. Someone killed him."

"I want to see it. The welt."

Ella nervously stroked her hands over her knee. "You can't."

"Why not?"

Ella hesitated, "Why not, Ella?" Hermione pushed her to talk. "I- I burned him."

"You burned him?" Hermione narrowed her eyes and let her head bow down a bit to amplify her confusement. "I didn't know what else to do! It was in the middle of the moment and all I could think of was –"

"You didn't know what else to do? You should've brought him in! Tell Dumbledore about it or me or anyone else!"

"I couldn't! Alright? If I brought his body to Dumbledore, he would just have had to announce his death to the other students. I would have to hear about his death every single day coming from all different mouths. I couldn't – I – I didn't want that. I didn't want to be reminded of his death every single day. I just –" she paused, "I just wanted to forget that it ever happened."

"That wasn't your decision to make! He wasn’t even your friend! He was mine! You can't just burn him unless –" Hermione cut herself off. Her mouth slowly closed but she didn't break eye contact with Ella. "Unless that wasn't the real reason."

Ella blinked, "Are you implying that I killed him?"

"Well burning him makes you pretty suspicious."

"I didn't. You could ask Theo he was with me." The words were like a slap in Hermione's face. "Theo was with you? Why didn't he stop you from burning him?!"

"I – he –" Ella stopped talking. She didn't know an answer to that. Why didn't he stop her? Why did he let her act out on her emotion? He could've said anything about bringing his body to Dumbledore, but he didn't. "I don't know."

"Suspicious."

"What does that mean?"

"Maybe he didn't want the body to be found. Maybe he was glad that you wanted to burn him so he wouldn't have to do it himself."

"Hermione, stop! You can't just make up a suspect out of your mind."

"Think about it, he has every motive to."

Ella shook her head, "Then why would he bring me to the body?" Hermione crossed her arms. "Yes, why did he bring you there, Ella?" Ella moved her leg from her other and leaned her elbows on her thighs. She thought back about that night. It was the book, the book that laid exactly by that tree. She flashed memories before her eyes on how he acted when he stood in front of her door. He had to go to the courtyard that night. He was forcing her to follow even though she wanted to go the next day.

"We were searching for my book." The words came out silent, almost as if she was now suspecting him as well. But he couldn't, not Theodore. He was too sweet. "He didn't do it. He wouldn't, it's Theo we're talking about."

"Yes, Theodore Nott. The one with an aggression problem. I remember you two fighting that night. Remember when you told me that the next day? Why did you two fight, Ella?!"

She remembered exactly why. "Because I told him that Harry tried to kill me." She whispered. She remembered how he let the bottle fall on the ground, she heard the shatter of glass back in her ears. She saw Draco's hand on his chest, pushing him away from them. And she hadn't seen him for hours after that.

"Draco was with him though, he couldn't have done it."

"Oh please, as if that would've stopped him. Draco probably even." Hermione said. "Draco is his best friend and they both hated Harry, even before you came along."

She had in all this time of their conversation not once moved her eyes away from Ella's. "And don't forget,"

"Draco Malfoy is ruthless. He won't care who you are or what you've done. If someone tells him to kill anyone, he will." Her voice was low and determined.

It made Ella question herself and her loyalty towards Theodore. She knew he was capable of killing someone, but would he really have killed Harry?

"I'm sorry Hermione." Ella stood, the pain between her thighs kicked in again and it made the tone in her voice lower and rapid. "I can't just not trust him.’’ Hermione stood as well. ‘’How well do you know these boys, Ella? How do you think they would act beside all the parties and classes with supervision? You really think that they would be the same?’’ Hermione grabbed her arm, ‘’If they killed Harry, I will kill them.’’ 

Ella’s chest bounced up and down. Her words were not empty, she meant every one of them and she would. Ella had her eyes pointed at Hermione’s, the fire inside of them almost scared her and the fact that it did, made her believe that there was a little inside of her that agreed with Hermione. 

There was a little voice inside her head that kept repeating Hermione’s words to her. ‘How well do you know these boys, Ella?’’


	17. The Malfoys

Ella had left Hermione behind and she was now back in her room. Theodore was still laying in bed but when she walked in, he opened his eyes. He was barely awake yet, but still managed to get out a smile and say, "Morning." His voice cracked in the middle of it and he quickly got out of bed.

"Morning."

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he stretched his arms and cracked his neck. She knew that his question was related to the night before, but she answered as he just meant this morning. 

"I'm good. I've been," she then got the realization that she hadn't told him about what had happened. She felt a bit of a warning alarming her. For a second, she was afraid to tell him what had happened to her. If Hermione was right and Theodore had killed Harry after trying to kill Ella, he would surely kill Adrian if he knew what he had done to her.

Even though she hated Adrian and the thought of his bloody corpse somehow brought her joy, she didn't want Theodore to have his blood on his hands.

She felt wrong for making assumptions and building her wall back up, but she did it anyway and said:  
"I was in the library, actually. I need to tell you about something." She walked closer with her laptop under her arm. She needed help with decoding it and the only people that she had told were Harry and Dean. She couldn't do this by herself and even though she wanted to, she couldn't.

Now that she wasn't sure if Dumbledore would help her, she had to ask for help by Theodore.

After they sat back on the bed and Theodore had her laptop on his lap, she pointed her finger at the pictures of the map and showed him the paper she had written on. "So, my father made this map with friends of his from school. James, Remus, and Peter. They somehow found a way to kill Tom and this map is the way to do so. I haven't decoded it fully yet, but I did find out something."

She laid the paper in front of him. "I wrote the names down, the ones that are crossed out are of the people that are dead. I know that my uncle had a plan to kill Tom, but he got killed for it. I'm pretty sure that he had told Sirius about it before he went out himself. Why else would his name be scribbled over the wall?"

She pointed at Aberforth's name. "Aberforth was one of the Order. I'm pretty sure that the envelop has something in it to decode this. Why else would he protect it and why else would Tom's followers want it so bad?" Theodore pointed at some scribbles on the pictures. "What does these mean?"

"I have no idea. I couldn’t translate them. It’s not something known on the internet. But my uncle, Regulus, he wrote a book, and someone put a review that there was a made-up language written in it. If that is the same language as these scribbles, we are able to decode the entire map and find out their plan."

Theodore watched the words. "I bought the book." Ella said.

"I don't know Ella; it seems to be much."

"You have to help me; I have this feeling that Harry’s aunt is somehow invested in this too." She grabbed the laptop over. "I've looked up their house, it's still empty since nobody wants to buy it."

"And you think that…?’’

"I think the envelope might be hidden there." She pulled up the picture of the house and Theodore looked at the screen. "I want to go there." He scratched his neck and she continued, "With everyone."

"Everyone?"

"The last times we did something that involved the envelope we ended up meeting Tom's followers. We need back up for if there would be another group waiting for us." Her voice was soft and measured, she wanted him to understand every word she spoke so there wouldn’t be any miscommunication. 

Theodore cracked his fingers and sighed before he let out a stiff, "Alright, I'm in."

Ella smiled and closed her laptop. "I want to go tonight. When everyone's asleep. We can't run into Dumbledore."

~

A while later, Theodore had summoned the group in her room. Ella now finally had an excuse to ask everyone’s number since she couldn’t reach them herself. She had just put Blaise's number in, put her phone back in her front pocket and looked up at Blaise, Pansy and Draco who were standing in front of her.

Theodore stood beside her with his arms crossed. Blaise followed his lead and now crossed his arms as well as he waited for Ella to tell them why they were summoned.

"So," Ella inhaled. She was a bit scared to open up, especially since she didn’t want to involve Blaise this very morning, but she had to. If she wanted this mission to succeed, she needed them. All of them. "You all know my father,"

"Get straight to the point, Black." Blaise muttered. She raised her brow but continued without replying on his comment. "He had worked on a map with a few others among which Harry's parents, it shows how to kill Tom Riddle."

"Tom Riddle? But nobody has seen him, ever." Pansy stated.

"I know but I think this map shows us where he's hidden." She grabbed the paper off her desk and gave it to Draco who was standing between Pansy and Blaise. "This is a list of the people involved, alive and dead. I also scribbled some thoughts,"

She pointed at Aberforth. "It seems that Aberforth was in the possession of an envelope which could have the code we need to decode the entire map. Last time we've seen him he was dead in his office and the envelope was gone missing."

She now moved her finger lower, "I have feeling that the Dursleys could be in on it as well. Seeing that their house is the perfect location to hide something since everyone knows that they are dead."

Draco looked up from the paper, to Ella. She had her eyes locked on his and looked away when she felt the anxiety grow in her body. She moved her finger off the paper and crossed her arms as she looked at Blaise. "There are scribbles on the map, some which I have no idea what they mean."

Theodore backed her up, "They seem to be another language, but not one that exists." 

"My uncle, Regulus Black, he wrote a book. I saw a review of someone stating that he made up an entire language inside of it. I bought it and I'm hoping that it's the same as on the map."

"And what do you need from us?" Pansy asked.

Ella shifted her eyes to her, "I want to go to the Dursley's. I want to see if there's anything in their house that could lead us further."

"Wicked, the ghost house." Blaise smirked, raised his fists, and did a little dance.

Ella looked back at Blaise, "The police has their eyes on the house since they don't want any tourists inside. We have to sneak in and then there's the possibility that Tom's followers could be there waiting for us." 

Ella paused, "That's why I need all of you and it’s not,’’ Ella pulled Blaise’s hands down. ‘’going to be a fun.’’ 

"You're insane." Draco muttered. Ella looked at him again and it seemed that he hadn't broke his eye contact with her. "Did you forget what happened the last time?"

"No. That's exactly why I want everyone to join. We were in a disadvantage because we were just with the two of us."

"Ella you don't count." His voice was low and gravely. "What is that supposed to mean?" Ella asked offended. 

"You are a liability. When you're around you can count out 2 people because there has to be one to safe your fucking life the entire time." There was no chance in his face expression, the way he could spoke out his words so effortlessly made it even harder for Ella not to get angry. 

"I can safe myself, thank you."

"You can’t and I won’t be responsible this time.’’ He pushed the paper back in Ella's hands and left the room. Ella bit the inside of her cheek and when she heard the door close with a bang she turned around to Theodore. "Why is he such an ass?"

"Only God knows, Ella. Malfoy is always like that." Pansy said as she walked to Ella's bed and laid herself on it. 

Theodore sighed, "I don't care what we have to do for it, but he has to come with us. We need him." 

"Why? We're with 4. That's enough." Ella was still offended by Draco’s comment and that was clear to hear in the tone of her voice. 

"Draco is a good shooter, Ella. He’s better than any of us."

Ella sighed and pinched the skin between her eyebrows. "Fine, I'll talk to him again."

"Guy, guys. You are all exaggerating. Draco will come around he is just not going to do that today." Blaise said. His voice was weary but cheerful. 

Ella faced him in surprise, "What do you know that we don't?" She asked. Blaise smirked again. "His good old dad is visiting today. He's probably stressing out over that. Just ask him tomorrow when papa Malfoy is gone."

"No, I want to go tonight. If we wait much longer there's a possibility that someone else will find it."

"It's one day, El. If his parents are really coming, I'm backing him up on this one. It's better for all of us to stay in." Theodore said. Ella looked back at him. It was pretty exhausting since both of them were standing on the other side of her and she had to turn her entire body to give them a glance. 

"His family is – they have high expectations of this school."

Pansy chuckled, "Why else do you think that Draco is top of our class." She sat herself straight on the bed and put her knuckles under her chin. "Although I must say that Lucius is a hotty, I might go and say hi." Theodore rolled his eyes at her.

Ella crossed her arms and said, "I still don’t get it, what’s the big deal about his parents visiting? And why can’t I go see them?’’

"Ella, darling. They would spit on you." Pansy said.

‘’Excuse me?’’

Theodore scratched his forehead and he raised his hand as he spoke, ‘’The Malfoy’s are people that would do anything for their image. They are rich and they are known to be extraordinary at everything. Draco is barely holding up to his father’s expectations, if Lucius even sees you, he will think that this school is having students that aren’t any good. Knowing him, he would even try to get you off this school. And he might succeed knowing his status here.’’ 

‘’You think I’m a bad student?’’ 

Pansy answered, ‘’Put it like this Ella, if we put you and Draco beside each other; He is like to the ceiling and you are,’’ 

‘’Just above his foot.’’ Blaise smirked as he spoke out the words. 

‘’Thank you, guys.’’ Ella said defeated. Blaise walked closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders. Ella jerked up a little by his sudden touch, but she managed to not show it. He pushed his head close to her cheek and she felt the warmth that exited his skin, fall onto hers. ‘’Don’t beat yourself up, Black. You’re amazing in our eyes, just not in his.’’ 

Theodore moved his eyes onto the two of them. He put his hands in his pockets and sniffed once. ‘’I should probably go, get him through today.’’ Blaise let go of Ella’s shoulders and agreed. ‘’Pans, you coming?’’  
"I'll just hang here for a bit." Pansy said. The boys nodded and walked out of the room. Ella walked behind them and closed the door when they were standing in the hall. She turned back to Pansy who had just crossed her legs. "Fess up."

"Excuse me?"

"You seriously think that you can hide it from me? Girl, I've had that walk multiple times." She swiped her hair over her shoulder. "And also, it's quit the coincidence that you and Theodore both disappeared from the party yesterday and neither one of you came back."

"Oh my god, Pansy I didn't."

Pansy raised her brow. "I will keep it a secret from everyone else. It will just be between us girls."

The blood in Ella’s veins started to race, how did she know anything? Was it visible to her? She knew that her face was a bit swollen but that wouldn’t necessarily apply to a fuck. "I didn't do anything with him, I swear."

"Oh, come on. He slept here and now you're walking crooked. I'm not blind, it's hurting down there isn't it?"

Ella had tried to keep the images out of her mind the entire day. She had been so focused on the map that she even convinced herself that nothing had happened. But now that Pansy is mentioning it, it just all rushed back in.

* She tried to speak but she felt Adrian's hand back on her mouth. Her cheek started to bounce again, even her pain that had faded away with her memories, rushed back in her body. Her legs started to shake, and she could feel his cock fill her cooch again.

Her face started to tingle, and her eyelids became heavy. She bit her teeth together, trying to hold in her tears as much as she could.

"Tell me, was it good? I've never had chance to get a taste of him but what I've heard from Daphne..." Pansy continued.

Ella wiped her finger onto her eyelid to help her push back the tears. "And besides, he's good looking so why are you really ashamed?"

"Pansy, I really didn't-"

"I do wonder though, is he a moaner?"

* "Oh fuck," Adrian's voice sounded back in her mind, and that was enough for her to finally break. Tears started rolling down her cheeks and she tried to wipe them away immediately. She was getting out of air and her cry was making a pinched noise.

Pansy jumped up, shocked by her sudden outburst. "My god, was it that bad?" She walked up to Ella and grabbed her wrists. She looked at her eyes, but Ella didn't look back. Instead, her eyes were pointed at the ground. "It wasn't Theo." She said with a crack in her voice. Pansy pulled her back with her and they sat themselves on the bed. She laid her hand on Ella's thigh as Ella shivered her last tears out.

"It," Ella tried to get the control back over her body but it took her a while. "W-was n-not Theo."

"What happened, Ella? Why are you so upset?" Her voice was thick with conviction, she felt quilt for implying that it was with Theodore. "A- Adrian," Ella sighed and paused. She closed her eyes; she couldn't talk with her eyes flowing like that. She needed to calm herself, get away the images and sounds from her mind. She focused her mind on a blank space, and slowly the images faded and all she could see was the black from her eyelids.

* "Adrian came up to me last night. He came onto me and h- he-" Pansy squeezed her thigh as she listened, but she already knew what Ella was going to say. "I didn't want to. I begged him to stop." Her voice cracked again, and she could her eyes fill up with a second round of tears.

* "He hit me; I couldn't move anymore. I couldn't scream, I couldn't kick him off. I felt everything, and I still do." Ella then opened her eyes which she pressed close with much force. 

Pansy scanned her eyes over Ella's face as she wiped another small tear away from under her eye. Ella now looked back at Pansy, "Theodore came here to comfort me because I didn't want to be alone."

"I didn't know that you knew him, otherwise I would've warned you."

"You knew?"

Pansy nodded, "It was last year. I already knew him because he was good friends with the boys. We were eventually at the Yule party and you know me, I like to tease." Ella looked at her in surprise, she could already imagine where this was going. "At the afterparty he got me alone and he got a little too close. He hit me too, kicked me and threw around like a whore. He enjoyed the power he had over me, he enjoyed seeing me cry and beg. Sometimes I still feel it, see it, hear it. I don't think that will ever really go away."

"What happened after that?"

"I told Draco. Eventually the entire group knew, and they hung him outside of the building. I don't think I've ever seen them that mad before, but I appreciated it."

Ella could detect a bit a fear in her own voice, but also curiosity. "They hung him?"

"Yep. First, they had beaten him up. It was messy. Then they hang him, I think if Dumbledore hadn't stepped in, he'd have died there."

"Why didn't Dumbledore expel him? I mean, he told me that this was safe place, but keeping a person like that isn’t keeping safety.’’ Her voice was pinched, the hatred she had towards Dumbledore seemed to grow even more. 

"The Malfoy's aren't the only investors, the Pucey's are as well. He simply couldn't kick him out. So since then we just avoided him. Dumbledore made us never touch him again and the same went for Adrian."

"That's why they warned me, and I didn't listen." Guilt clouded her voice. 

"I'm surprised though, that he went after you. He knows that you’re one of us.’’

"He also knows that you can't touch him."

Pansy swinged her head elegantly to the side. "True."

"I haven't told Theodore what happened, I couldn't."

"It's better if they don't know. They can't do anything about it, it would eat them."

"Can I ask, how did you move on after it? I mean, I can't even look at a guy without feelings overwhelmed, just now when Blaise touched me, I got filled with anxiety as if it were Adrian’s hands again."

"It normally takes time, but I got over it pretty quick. It made me stronger somehow, I promised myself that I would never go through something like that again. Only if I fully want to."

"Back then, did you and Draco...?"

"Oh no, honey. I wish though," Pansy sighed in admiration. "That man is just perfect I hate it." Ella giggled softly. "I swear I've been trying to get on that man for as long as I know him, but he just doesn't want to."

"How is that possible, you're gorgeous."

"I know. He just doesn't. Not with anyone really. A lot of girls have tried."

"Wait, is he?" Ella drew out the words, but she already didn’t believe it herself. "Oh God no. He used to be a player when he was around 15/16. That's when he was fun. Now he's just so focused on school, training, and his stupid books. It's boring."

Ella giggled again. "And the others?"

"Theodore has been with Daphne for as long I can remember. They never got into a relationship though, he never wanted that. From his side it was just sex. And Blaise just fucks everyone and everything that he can. I have had my fun with him for a while, but it just wasn't it for me. He was pretty boring."

Pansy laid on her back and rested her head on her hands. "I want it to be sweet but not boring. I want their hands on my entire body but also just on the right spots. I want to be consumed by it, feel their warmth and sync with their body,"

"Their?"

Pansy moved her head to the side to face Ella. Her lips curled in a playful smirk. "Please, did you honestly think I'd only settle for men? Have you seen a woman?!"

"I completely agree with you." Ella said.

"Woman are just from another world it seems. Their skin is so soft, and they move so elegantly. What really is a man besides a woman?" Ella was intrigued by the way Pansy spoke. She never thought she would be able to talk with her like this, but she was glad she finally could. "Have you actually ever been with a girl?"

"Of course, multiple ones. Just never the one. I know that I want the love and caring but I just don’t see myself in a relation with anyone.’’ 

Ella sighed, "Me neither."

"Oh Ella, you can try lying to yourself, but you can't lie to me." Pansy sat herself straight and cracked her neck. "Your eyes are just open books." She locked eyes with Ella. "But I won’t spoil the plot.’’ 

Pansy than stood and twirled around. ‘’Anyways, this conversation made me hungry. Do you want to go grab a bite?’’ 

‘’Didn’t Theo just tell us to stay here?’’ 

‘’He told you to stay here. I already met papa Malfoy, he’s delicious, if you see him, you’d just drop on your knees immediately.’’ She watched Ella’s eyes narrow, ‘’To soon?’’ Ella let out a joyful sigh. 

~

As Ella walked behind Pansy to the canteen, she had her paper in her hands. She read over the names again. Lupin’s name was on the paper, maybe she could visit him today and ask him if he knew anything she missed. He made the map, right? He must know something about it. She was pretty sure that she was already on the right path, but she could easily miss something important. 

Without looking up from the paper, Ella followed Pansy around the corner. She heard a soft gasp coming out of Pansy’s mouth and when Ella looked up, she stood eye to eye with a tall man. His long – its length touching his hip – platinum blonde hair caught her attention first. She scanned over his hair until she reached his face. His face was an exact replica of Draco, but what he would look like in his 30’s. 

She hadn’t bumped into the man, but he stood so close to here that it felt like she did. The way he looked down on her made her uncomfortable and she apologized out of reflex. ‘’Eh, sorry,’’ Somehow all the warnings from the others seemed to have slipped her mind. The man standing in front of her intrigued her, she was overwhelmed with admiration. 

‘’You are Lucius Malfoy, right? I’ve heard so much about you.’’ She spoke as is she was talking to a celebrity, but he seemed to like it. She looked over to the woman who was standing beside him. She was head to toe gorgeous. Ella was surprised that Pansy hadn’t mentioned her beauty, it overwhelmed Lucius’. 

Her half-up-half-down hairstyle showed her blonde locks underneath her black. She recognized her hair, which was a weird thing. ‘’Narcissa White, sorry – I meant Malfoy. My father used to tell me stories about you.’’ 

Narcissa smiled, ‘’Really? Who is your father?’’ 

‘’Sirius Black.’’ 

Narcissa’s mouth opened and she looked at Lucius for a moment before she continued. ‘’You’re a Black. I haven’t heard from that family since the accident. I wasn’t aware that his daughter was attending Hogwarts.’’ 

Ella tried to force herself a smile, but she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing to hear. ‘’I actually just enrolled here. I used to go to the Hogs Academy.’’ 

‘’How wonderful.’’ 

Lucius smirked as he still looked down on her. She caught on a bit of disgust in his face but she tried to ignore that so she wouldn’t act out on insecurity. ‘’How do you find Hogwarts?’’ 

‘’Overwhelming.’’ Ella said in a calm, unhurried voice. 

Narcissa let out a soft and elegant giggle, ‘’I can understand that. When our son first came here, he made the exact comment on the question.’’ 

Ella wanted to answer but she noticed Pansy shaking her head at her. She swallowed her reply back in and quickly came up with a new one. ‘’I think most of us felt that way. But over time, Hogwarts feels like a home. It teaches us to be our best self’s, in a dark world which we will light up, eventually. I hope your son has learned this too, but I don’t doubt it.’’

Narcissa lifted her chin, ‘’Indeed. We were just taking a walk around the school before we head to our son’s training. Would you be interested in joining us?’’ 

Ella’s eyes grew bigger from excitement. She completely ignored Pansy’s shaking head on the said and said: ‘’I’d love to.’’


	18. When?

Ella walked beside Narcissa, following Lucius. Ella watched Narcissa's hair swing behind her as she walked. Everything about this woman was elegant and perfect. She had the fingers of her right hand resting in her left. Her elbows were pointing at her waist and her chin was up high as she walked. 

They spoke mostly about the school on their way over to a shooting range on the other side of the school from where they met. Narcissa had asked Ella about her thoughts on some issues she had with it. Ella's mind was flooded with several she could add to that list, but she kept it severe and answered only on the one’s Narcissa had mentioned. Narcissa had frowned her brows several times but didn't go into detail any further.

Once they arrived at the shooting range, she noticed Draco and Theodore already standing in their spot. Theodore had a KN-44 over his shoulder and the optic was an inch away from his right eye. He had his index finger on the trigger and after moving his gun to a perfect line with his aim, he pressed it. The bullet flew through the air and hid the red-and-white circle in front of him. The shot was just outside the first red line beside the black dot in the middle. 

He straightened his back impressed. Theodore knew that he wasn’t the best shooter, but he was happy with this nearly hit on the target. 

Narcissa raised her hand to the bench against the wall and sat herself beside Ella. For Ella's surprise, she grabbed her hands between her own as she told her who her son was. Narcissa’s eyes moved over the venue and Ella forced herself to smile, as if she didn’t already know her son.

Draco was reloading his gun behind Theodore and showed a small smirk on his lips as he did so. He pushed the barrel down and when he heard a click, he pulled it back up. He rotated it within his hands before he looked over his shoulders to the door where Ella and his parents had entered.

The vein in his neck popped up under his skin and his jaw was tightening. Theodore turned around to tell Draco that it was his turn before he noticed them too. He sighed and spoke inaudible to Draco. Draco raised his hand as a sign to stop talking, walked to the spot and laid his gun over his shoulder. 

Lucius crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knee. ‘’Forgive me for being too enthusiastic but I’ve been teaching him the skill of shooting myself. We had a venue build in our home a couple years back.’’ Ella couldn’t get her eyes away from Draco so without giving Lucius a glance she answered. ‘’That’s lovely.’’

Draco now pressed the optic close to his eye and held his index finger on the trigger. He placed the gun in perfect line to the target and when he pressed it, he pushed the gun a bit forward while it pushed back. He watched the bullet fly through the air before it hit the target right in the middle, as it was supposed to.

Ella felt Narcissa squeeze her hands out of excitement which made her look down. She had a feeling that she was invading them, even though Narcissa herself made the touch between them. 

Ella sucked in her lips before she tilted her head back up to see Draco take another shot. She immediately caught on to his hand which was shaking. He took another shot, but he hit the target again right in the middle. Ella nervously shifted her legs, he wasn’t going to hit it a third time, not with his hand moving like that. 

Draco let his hand down, shook it roughly before placing it back on the trigger. This time he shot a bit too soon, the other two shots were aimed after he had lined up his gun, this one was just unplanned and an act of irritation. The bullet shot through the air and landed between the first white circle, further away from the target than Theodore’s hit had been. 

Ella heard Lucius sigh in disappointment, and she tilted her head an inch to the side to get a glimpse of his side profile. She didn’t want him to notice that she was looking at him, so she kept her body directioned to the boys. ‘’’Ridiculous,’’ he muttered under his sigh.

"Oh, Lucius. Don't be like that. He got it twice, didn’t he?’’ Narcissa responded. 

He bit the inside of his cheek before he forced his mouth into a smile. He moved his head to the side and his eyes were now locked on Ella’s. ‘’He did indeed.’’ 

Ella swallowed. She wanted to respond but she knew that she would only make it worse for not only herself, but Draco as well. ‘’What do you think, miss. Black?’’ He then asked. Ella felt sweat pushing through her hands, and she hoped that Narcissa wouldn’t notice her sudden warm and wet skin.

"He's probably just nervous." Lucius narrowed his eyes in surprise. "On the scene, miss. Black. Do you have time to be nervous?"

Ella shifted her eyes over his face. His muscles were tightened, he didn’t actually want her to answer him, he wasn’t interested in her opinion which made her confused to why he asked her that in the first place. "On the scene the atmosphere is different. The adrenaline in your body can perfect your aim if you're a person that's able to embrace it. Seeing from what I see from your son right now, he is a person like that. He might just be nervous because we are watching. It's a different kind of fear."

"Being afraid is an excuse to be killed.’’ 

"I have to disagree sir. Fear is what saves us.’’ 

"Could you elaborate that please, miss. Black."

"Fear is what drives us to perfection, coordination. Without fear we'd shoot carelessly; Our vision would blur, and the target would shape anything but,’’

Narcissa curled her lips into a smile but Lucius didn't seem to enjoy it as much. ‘’I see.’’ 

Ella forced herself to smile before she looked back at Draco. She shifted her eyes behind him, focusing them on Theodore. He stood against the wall with his arms crossed. The side of his mouth was pulled up, giving her a smirk. 

After a while, the boys were done and they both walked over to Ella and the Malfoy’s. Narcissa had thrown her arms around her son and Theodore shook hands with Lucius. ‘’It’s nice to see you again, sir.’’ He spoke to Lucius. ‘’I see that you’ve made progress with your shots.’’ Lucius told him. 

‘’I have, all thanks your son.’’ 

Narcissa had just planted a kiss on Draco’s forehead before Theodore patted him on his back. Draco had his back straightened and his hands in his pockets. He held his chin up high as he shifted his eyes to his father. Lucius looked down at him but didn’t say a word. 

‘’Draco dear, we just ran into Sirius Black’s daughter. Do you remember him?’’ Narcissa said as she softly pushed Ella forward. Ella looked up at Draco and he looked back at her. ‘’Of course, how could I forget?’’ He reached his hand out of his pocket and pointed it out to her. 

She let her eyes rest on it before she placed her own inside his palm and shook it. ‘’Draco Malfoy, it’s a pleasure to meet you.’’ He spoke with a voice Ella didn’t recognize. It was all a weird scene, having to fake her meeting with him, while having back flashes of his head against her neck from the other night. 

‘’Ella. The pleasure is mine.’’ She felt him squeeze her hand before he let go. 

Narcissa had her eyes pointed at their hands before she looked at Draco, ‘’Draco dear, why don’t you invite miss Black to join us at dinner this evening?’’ Draco’s face expression showed nothing but irritation. ‘’She doesn’t have to,’’ he muttered. 

‘’None sense! Ella dear, would you want to join us?’’ Ella felt a sprinkle of joy as she heard Narcissa call her by her first name. How could she decline this woman after that? But Ella noticed Draco’s eyelid bounce by the pushed away anger. ‘’Believe me, I would love to, but I still have an assignment I have to work on. Maybe another time?’’ Narcissa petted her back and nodded. 

~

Once Narcissa and Lucius had gone to Dumbledore, Ella was left alone with the boys. She had just seen the door close behind Narcissa when an angry Draco walked up to her. She had barely a second to look over her shoulder and realize that he was coming up to her before he stood just an inch away from her face. ‘’What the fuck is wrong with you?!’’ He yelled.

Ella stepped backwards, in total shock by the anger that dripped over his face. She touched the wall with her heel, but it didn’t stop Draco to push his face closer to hers. His hand was moving beside her head as he yelled multiple words at her. The words didn’t seem to enter her ears as all she could think of was the small distance between them. 

Her body started to warm up and her sight had gotten blurry. She could only feel the breeze coming off from his moving hand and the hot air that exited his mouth as he screamed, onto her skin. She was struggling to breath and when she did, it seemed to be anything but oxygen.

‘’Can you please step back first?’’ She asked calmly, her voice was soft and unhurried.

Draco didn’t seem to care about her request. His hand was now in front of her face, pointed at her. She felt her face tighten, especially around her temple and eye area. He had to back up, before she would go into a panic attack which she already felt growing. He was too close; she couldn’t handle it. The anger, the yelling, it was all too much. 

Still calm, she told him, ‘’Draco, step back.’’ He bit the inside of his cheek but didn’t move an inch. He had stopped yelling at her, but the warmth of his body still overwhelmed her. 

She then pressed her hands against his chest, pushing him away from her. Her mind wasn’t controlling her action, it was a pure reflex she couldn’t hold in. With a force, she pushed him away from her. Her face seemed angry, and her breathing was heavy.

His upper body bounced back a bit, but his legs were still on the same spot they stood before she had pushed him. It seemed that even though she pushed with all the power she had; he still had more strength than her. He looked at the spot where her hands had pushed him, as if he had to make sure she actually did it. He then looked up at her and stepped backwards himself. 

Ella silently breathed her anxiety out. The silence was killing her, it gave her more space to think about anything she didn’t want to. Draco sighed and crossed his arms. ‘’Sorry,’’ he muttered. Ella looked up at him in total disbelief of the word that had just come out of his mouth. He turned away from her, giving her even more distance. 

‘’It’s okay.’’ She whispered, still in shock. 

Theodore then walked closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder. ‘’Are you alright?’’ He moved his head down to face her. Ella nodded and forced herself to smile. ‘’I’m sorry that I interrupted your training. It’s just, your mom…’’ She spoke to Draco, ‘’When I saw her, I recognized her from stories my dad used to tell me. I just couldn’t say no when she asked me to join.’’ 

‘’It doesn’t matter, it’s over.’’ 

The door then opened again, and Pansy walked in. ‘’Gosh, I just saw Lucius leave and he looked pissed. What did you do?’’ 

‘’Ask Ella.’’ 

‘’I didn’t do anything wrong! I even played along with your little ‘being a stranger’ front. Which I don’t get by the way, why are we suddenly strangers?’’ 

Theodore lifted his hand off her shoulder and put them in his pockets. ‘’Ella, it’s –’’

But Draco interrupted him, ‘’It doesn’t matter, Black. They will leave tonight, and we will never talk about it again.’’ Draco sniffed and walked out of the room. Ella faced Theodore, hoping that he would still tell her what’s going on. ‘’I’m sorry, El. It’s not my story to tell.’’ 

‘’It’s okay. I’ll just go do my assignment then.’’ Ella looked at Pansy and walked out with her.

~

When Ella was back in her room, she had her phone in her hands and scrolled through her contacts. When she got to Dean’s name, she clicked on the video icon beside it and held her phone in front of her face. Once she saw his face appear on the screen she smiled and greeted him. 

‘’What’s up, El? I don’t have much time, is it important?’’ Dean asked. She saw that he was walking outside, but she couldn’t make out where precisely. ‘’I’ll be fast. I have this assignment that I need to do, and I really need your help.’’ 

‘’What do you need me for?’’ 

‘’I have to manipulate someone in doing a robbery for me. Or any crime really, I just thought a robbery was the easiest.’’ 

‘’I’m not going to rob for you, Ella.’’ 

‘’Please? It doesn’t have to be big. I just have to film you doing it and then erase the tracks but I just –‘’ 

Dean sighed, ‘’Ella I won’t do it. Don’t get me wrong I’d always help you but this where I have to draw the line.’’ 

‘’It’s fine, I’ll just have to ask someone else.’’ 

‘’Besides, isn’t that cheating? I mean, asking a friend to help you doing an assignment.’’ 

‘’Probably but I’m already late and I don’t know how to get a stranger do something like that for me. Anyways, thanks. I’ll just have find someone else.’’ Dean nodded and Ella ended the call. She scrolled further down through her contact until she reached Ron. She called him too with a video call and he quickly answered. 

She saw his cheerful face fill the screen and he immediately smiled when he saw hers. ‘’Ella! I’m so glad you called!’’ He took a bite out a donut while he relocated his phone. ‘’You’re always eating, aren’t you?’’ Ella asked with a smirk on her face. 

‘’In my defense, eating is better than drugs.’’ 

‘’True. Talking about drugs,’’ Ron frowned his brows and took another bite. ‘’Would you want to help me with an assignment? I need to manipulate someone –‘’ 

‘’Nope, can’t do. I’ve already helped Hermione; your teacher would probably recognize my face after seeing me twice in a video.’’ 

‘’Dammit. I’m so screwed.’’ 

‘’Just go to the streets and find yourself a stranger. Anyways, now that you’ve called, has Hermione asked you about my brother’s birthday?’’ 

Ella sucked in her lips before she answered, ‘’She has. I’ll see if I can make it.’’ 

‘’Wicked. Good luck with your assignment.’’ She thanked him and ended the call. She scrolled through her Instagram page, something she hasn’t done since she had the app. She needed inspiration, how was she going to ask a stranger to rob something for her? 

She was now on the ‘you might also know’ page and she saw different faces of students from the school. She decided to follow the ones she knew, Cedric, Blaise, Pansy – 

She went to Pansy’s page and scrolled through her pictures. She was absolutely stunning in all of them. She then moved over to her followers; she didn’t follow much people maybe around eighty. She typed in Draco, but it seemed that she didn’t follow him. He probably didn’t have Instagram, Ella thought. 

She went back to her ‘you might also know’ page and followed others from her class too. Cho, Crabbe, Goyle… 

She swallowed when she saw the name Adrian pop up. She hesitated; she was scared to see his face but also curios. She finally clicked on his profile and his pictures popped up. She scrolled through them but all she could feel by seeing his face was utter disgust. From just his pictures, he seemed to be a nice guy, and that pained her even more.

She clicked on a photo of him and a dog, such a cliché. She looked through the comments and there were only girls commenting hearts and kiss emojis. If they only knew what a disgusting person, he was… 

She looked back to his overall profile. His last picture was posted twenty-eight minutes ago, it was a picture of him smiling next to a guy who was probably his classmate. She felt anger boil inside of her as she kept staring at his cheerful face. How dare he be so happy after what he had done to her? After what he had done to Pansy and who knows how many more girls.

How dare he act like nothing happened, as if he hadn’t destroyed her life just a day ago. 

She had her finger hover above the follow button. She bit her teeth together, hoping something inside of her head would tell her to stop. Yet, after all this time her mind seemed to be empty. There was nothing stopping her or alarming her. She wasn’t even sad. 

She watched the button turn white and the message button popped beside it. She let her fingers dance over her keyboard before her thumb hung over the send button. A tear rolled out of her right eye, but she couldn’t feel it. She wasn’t even aware that it had build up in her eye all this time. She let the tear roll and she finally pressed on the send button. 

A few seconds later her message was seen. She hadn’t closed the conversation and now she watched him type. 

'When?'


	19. The video part 1

Her thumb moved over the home button of her phone. 

18:16.

Her screen locked and she immediately moved her eyes up. Still no movement. Her eyes were back on the screen and her thumb pushed on the home button. She saw the clock on her lock screen change,

18:17.

How fashionable late was this guy going to be? She had heard Narcissa say that they would be expecting him at 18:00, and they didn’t seem to be the kind people that liked to be kept waiting for long. 

Maybe it was just his rebellion behavior against his parents. 

Her screen locked again, and she was now staring at her own reflection. Her hair fell over her face and she pushed a strand of it behind her ear. 

She watched some students walk past her and she noticed some weird stares, but she couldn’t give a single fuck about it. Her thumb moved again on the home button as if it was any help to her. As if suddenly the door of his dormitory would open as the time changed to 18:18. 

Come on. 

A notification lit up her screen. It was from her mail and she opened it. A sigh rolled over her lips and she suddenly had the urge to throw her phone against the wall. After that, probably herself. 

The book she had bought wasn’t available anymore. Because of all the bad reviews, the seller decided to stop the printing of it. Great, how was she supposed to get that book now? 

She looked up at the door, her eyes were almost burning their way through it, until it suddenly opened, and Draco stepped out. She got a small glimpse of him in a suit before she pushed herself back behind the corner and controlled her breathing. She looked at her phone, 

18:19.

When another minute had passed, she would go into the hall, which gave him a minute to disappear from it. As she awkwardly had herself pushed against the wall, she noticed more stares. She forced herself a smile and straightened her back. When the students that had stared at her had turned around the corner, she looked back at her phone. 18:20, she could go. 

She slowly walked to the room, watching around if Draco could return any second. She was hoping that Slughorn’s lessons were any good at this point. If he suddenly turned around and saw her standing in front of his door, she wouldn’t know what to tell him. Especially since they hadn’t been apart for just a few hours.

When she arrived at his door, she slowly raised her hand. She noticed her fingers shake. She was not necessarily scared; she was more hesitant of her actions. It didn’t feel right to her and a small voice in the back of her mind begged her to stop. She could lose the small respect she had built up, maybe even a friendship. Her reputation could change throughout the entire school and – No. 

The voice in her head was simply too small to hear at this point. The only one she heard was the one she would recognize as Bella. Her aunt’s voice sounded through her mind, Do it! Now! 

Her other hand now moved up and knocked on the door. She waited a little before she heard Blaise’s voice. ‘’It’s open!’’ 

Shit. 

She pushed the doorhandle down and slowly pushed the door open. As her sight into the room grew bigger as the door opened further, she noticed Blaise. He looked at her in surprise, his eyes barely above his phone that hung over his face. 

He laid in bed, above the covers. He was in the same clothing she had seen him in this morning in the library. His shoes were still on and it seemed as if he could either head out any second, or just came in. ‘Sup, Black.’’ His voice pulled her out of her thoughts. 

‘’Hey. I ehm –‘’ Lie! ‘’Pansy wanted me to get you. She said she was mad about something, but she didn’t tell me what it was.’’ 

‘’Pansy is mad at me?’’ He had put on a crooked smile, ‘’Let her be mad.’’ 

Ella looked around, annoyed. ‘’I think you should really go; she was all screaming and psycho.’’   
Blaise locked his phone and pressed it against his chest. He then rolled himself out of bed, walked closer to her and scanned her while smirking. ‘’I enjoy screaming,’’ 

‘’Fuck off, Blaise. Just go.’’ 

‘’Fine, fine. I’ll go fight the lion.’’ He winked and left the room. Ella sighed in relief and waited a bit before she locked the door. She was lucky, Blaise wasn’t a person that would think that she was going to do something she shouldn’t. He probably didn’t even care about her being still in his room. 

She scanned fast over Blaise’s side of the room, but she already knew that searching there would be pointless. She moved her head over her shoulder and scanned Draco’s bed beside her, perfectly made like always. 

She shouldn’t, should she? 

It ached her that she was going to invade his privacy.

Ella walked closer to his bed and kneeled. She let her hands move through the little space between his bed frame and mattress. Her will to do what she wanted to do that evening was stronger than her morals of going through his belongings. 

Her hands now moved underneath the mattress but came back empty.

Her eyes moved over to his pillow, and quickly after, her hand had followed. She grabbed the book that was laying underneath it, turned it around and she looked at the front cover. It was fully black and there was no title written onto it. She opened it to the first page but there was no sign of it being a self-made cover. Strange. She didn’t think much about it further and pushed it back underneath his pillow. 

Ella pressed her hands on her thighs and stood. She wanted to avoid searching through everything, so she had to think. She looked around the room for any spots that would catch her notice. Ella walked to his wardrobe and opened both its doors. Everyone hides their things in their boxer drawer, don’t they? 

She bowed down and opened a few of his drawers. She couldn’t believe that she was actually going to get a glance of his boxers. She didn’t want to be that kind of girl that enjoyed the glimpse of it, but she was kind of interested in what sort he would wear if she was completely honest. 

The first two were just normal drawers filled with socks and boxers. She had let her eyes wander over it for a while before she quickly pushed them back closed. When she was about to open the third one, it made a weird noise that caught her attention. She opened it first and looked at a drawer filled with books – big and small – papers; some written and some drawn, pictures and printed e-mails.

Her hand lifted one of the drawings before her mind could stop her. It was not much. The paper had just a few lines drawn onto it and left most of the paper empty. She wasn’t sure what it meant which made her look through the other drawings. 

Another one with lines and scribbles caught her attention. This one she understood, it were statistics with percentages and different techniques and angles he uses for his aiming. Ella was shocked by how much work he put into his training. It seemed not to be just physical, but he trained mentally as well. 

The paper rolled out of her hand and she closed the drawer again. That’s as far as she would let herself go through it. It wasn’t what she needed so she shouldn’t look into it. When she pushed the drawer back close, she noticed the weird noise again. She moved it back and forward while she pinned her eyes on the screw at the side of it. It was loose which made her think that she could pull it out effortlessly. 

So, she did. 

She laid the drawer beside her and bowed her head down as she leaned on her entire arm. She saw a small box in the corner and pulled it closer to her. It was a shoe box, nothing special really. Ella lifted the lid and her pupils grew bigger. Her lip curled into a smile and she laid the lid beside her on the ground. She let her hand reach into the box and grabbed one of the two things that were in it. She let it rest in her palm and lifted it up. As she stared down at it, she let her other hand close the box back up. 

Gotcha. 

~

Everything around her felt different. The corridors seemed to be smaller, the walls higher. It was sucking her in, making her disappear within the building as if she was one with it. The floor didn’t feel steady, it felt as if she could fall through any second. For a few seconds she even caught herself imagining the ground rise and sucking her underneath it.

The voices of the students around her seemed quieter, even though most of them were yelling in excitement. She normally would be a person to take in everyone’s conversation, just to hear it. Just to know their chats. But now, it all seemed nothing but an illusion to her, as if there was a big wall between Ella and the other students. 

The air seemed thicker, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. She had her mouth closed but it somehow still managed to get inside her throat. It felt dry and painful even though her nose should be the only thing feeling the air. 

She had her eyes focused on the direction she was walking – the end of the hall. Her feet were moving in a perfect sync, following an imaginary line, making it feel that if she took a misstep, she would fall.

Her arms hung exhausted along her body. Her hair was wet – wet from the rain – and without given herself a glance in the mirror she was already aware of her run out makeup. 

She felt a hand land on her shoulder, but it seemed to all feel like an illusion. The hall was blurred, as was her hearing, the touch of the hand and the taste of her own blood in her mouth – blood she wasn’t aware of having there until now. 

She moved her head to the side, but it felt heavier. It took more effort to move, to be aware. 

It all played through her head in slow motion. The touch, the voices, her movement, the face in front of her. 

It took her a while before she recognized it as Cedric’s. She had to blink twice to fully acknowledge his presence. Every blink was heavy and every time her eyes opened the blur faded in bits.

It all started to move around her as normal, the blur was gone, and she felt as if she just got a splash of cold water in her face as Cedric started pushed her shoulder back and forward.

‘’Hello? Did you hear me?’’ Cedric asked in confusion.

Ella inhaled normally, as the air finally seemed to be breathable again. ‘’Sorry, what did you say?’’ 

‘’I asked if you were okay.’’ 

‘’Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?’’ 

Cedric scanned her, ‘’You seem distant.’’ She scanned him back, taking his appearance in. He was wearing something different than what she was used to see. Normally he was dressed in baggy shirts and trousers, with brown or mustard yellow tints. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him wear black but today he was entirely covered in it. 

He had a black sweater on with ridges. On the left side of his chest was a small logo. It was a hexagon and on the inside of it was a tree with a lot of branches touching the lines of the hexagon. The lines were connected, and the inside of the lines were colored in mustard yellow while the outlines were black. It was hard to see the outlines since his sweater was also black. 

Underneath he wore tight black jeans with the same logo on his left upper leg. 

‘’What are you wearing?’’ Ella asked him after her scan was completed. 

Cedric stepped backwards and pulled his sweater down to make it more visible although there wasn’t a lot to see beside the logo which was already perfectly reflected in the way it was before he pulled it down. ‘’You like it? My dad had sent me this. It’s our new uniform.’’ 

‘’Uniform? For school?’’ 

‘’No, you weirdo. This is the new uniform for the gang. You know,’’ he put his hand beside his mouth and whispered, ‘’the mafia.’’ 

Ella forced herself a smile, ‘’It looks great.’’ 

‘’Thank you!’’ 

He let his hands slide off his sweater and crossed his arms, pointing all his focus back on her. ‘’Are you really okay though? I mean,’’ he pointed at her wet hair. ‘’why were you outside.’’

Seeing that he didn’t believe her first answer she said, ‘’I met the Malfoys today. They were – overwhelming.’’ 

‘’They made you go outside?’’ 

‘’No. It was their comments that made me. I wanted to train harder and as I was outside it started raining so I came back.’’ 

‘’They are though people, the Malfoy’s. Don’t let them get to much into your head.’’ 

But they weren’t, not to her at least. 

Ella just nodded and excused herself from the conversation. She made him believe that her day with the Malfoy’s had exhausted her and that she wanted to go to bed and sleep it off. 

Once she was back in her dormitory, she immediately walked to her bathroom to take a look at her own reflection. Her mascara was run out and her hair was sticking onto her jaw. She wiped the mascara away from under her eyes she splashed cold water in her face. When she looked back up in the mirror, she watched the drops roll of her face and splash back in the sink. 

She didn’t recognize herself, but she didn’t seem to mind. She moved her head to the side, exposing her neck, and let her fingers move over the little bruise on her neck. The second her fingers touched her skin she got flashes, of the lips that had touched it, back in her mind. Just the lips, nothing more. 

She now grabbed her own throat and slowly pressed her fingers into the skin, making her see more images. Someone else’s hand was grabbing her throat, with much more force than she was doing to herself in this moment. 

She moved her hand down to her chest but before she could reach it, she grabbed her hand and pulled it away. She let her thumb roll over her wrist before she lifted her head down to watch her palm. After she had formed her fingers into a fist, she looked back at the mirror. Her appearance had now changed, 

her hair was washed, dried, and put in a ponytail. Her mascara was cleaned and there was a new coat on her lashes. She had painted her lips with a clear gloss and there was a bit of blush onto her cheeks. She looked down at her shirt, it was just an ordinary brown cropped top with blue light washed baggy trousers underneath. She looked down at her trousers and noticed her belt still undone. She grabbed the loose ends and belted herself up. When she was done, she looked over her shoulder, out of the window. 

The sun was up, it was 10:07 in the morning and her class was starting at 10:15. She hadn’t had breakfast yet, but she wasn’t hungry. She had been editing the entire night and she rather slept in than woke up early for food and be tired the entire day. 

~

Her first lesson was IT, from Remus Lupin. It was the first lesson of this class with an actual teacher. Normally she used this hour to read or just hang with her friends. 

She was sitting next to Pansy and she immediately caught on the bruise on her neck. ‘’I see you’ve moved on.’’ She muttered. Ella’s lip curled in a crooked smile. ‘’I did indeed.’’ She looked over her shoulder at Pansy and her pupils had grown from excitement. 

‘’I hope you didn’t forget about Mad-Eyes’ class today. Have you actually worked on that?’’ 

‘’Of course, I have. I’ve been editing the video for the entire night.’’ She looked away from Pansy and in the middle of her sentence she looked back, ‘’I’ve even used your advice.’’ 

‘’My advice?’’

‘’I’ve used my female gifts of God to wing in a man.’’ 

Pansy smirked, ‘’And after your little project he gave you – that?’’ she pointed at Ella’s bruise. 

‘’Something like that.’’ 

The rest of the lesson was pretty boring. After two hours of listening to Lupin about hacking and the Dark web, she was glad that she had a couple of minutes to disappear in the library. She didn’t get the book; it wasn’t available anymore. 

Ella was now searching through the shelfs if there were any copies of it somewhere. She started looking at his last name first, Black. There were many books about her family, but she wasn’t interested in them. 

She moved on to his first name, looking at book’s that started with R and E, she came upon books that weren’t even close to his name. She also looked for R.A.B but there were no matches of it either. With a loud groan, she let her head fall back. She couldn’t search through every single book in this library, it was huge! 

She took her phone out of her pocket and opened e-bay. She typed the name of her uncle in but there were not even copies of the book on there. 

Was this really happening? Was she really losing her lead this quick? 

After a while she was back in the corridors, on her way to her next class. She noticed Lupin walking out of his classroom and she immediately walked up to him. ‘’Sir?’’ 

He turned his head over his shoulder and smiled before he asked her what she wanted. She was still a bit careful with her questions. She didn’t want to overstep it. 

‘’I’ve recently found out that my uncle had written some books and I was hoping to get a hold on one of them since I don’t have any memories or pictures of him, but they don’t publish it anymore. Do you by any chance know where I could find them?’’ his brows frowned, ‘’Because you knew my dad. I thought maybe you knew my uncle too.’’ 

‘’Of course, I knew Regulus. Silly boy he was. But I have to disappoint you, I haven’t seen any of his books in years.’’ 

Ella nodded disappointed but before she could thank him and walk off, he continued to speak, ‘’I remember Dumbledore having it. He might still have one in his office if he hasn’t placed it in the library.’’ He moved his head a bit forwards, ‘’It’s a difficult book to read.’’ 

‘’I’ll ask him. Thank you.’’ 

~

There was one more class before Mad-Eye’s. Ella had let her hair down since her ponytail was giving her a headache and the bruise in her neck wasn’t letting her sit out the classes peacefully. Even though all the students were getting taught in combat, making different poisons, shooting range and the literal history of murder and how to perfect it – they somehow looked up weird by a fucking bruise in someone’s neck. 

As Ella walked into the class, she watched over her classmates. It had been a while, but half of the students were still a mystery to her. She obviously knew her group, Draco, Theodore, Blaise, and Pansy. She knew Crabbe and Goyle who somehow were invested in the group at parties and drama but never when the conversations got heated or deep. 

There were Daphne and Tracey, Millicent, Cho, and Hermione. And of course, Harry was in there as well. He would have sat on the empty chair beside Hermione. He would’ve given her a disgusted look as she walked in. She even missed those, his hatred towards her, mostly because at that time he was still able to do that. Hate her, she meant. At least while she knew, he could still hate her, but she couldn’t know. 

Ella attempted to walk to the empty chair beside Pansy – which was normally taken by Blaise, but he was sitting beside Draco this time, making Theodore sit alone – but she got pulled away. She looked down at her arm to see Hermione’s soft fingers circled around her skin. 

Hermione pulled Ella down on the chair beside hers and with a thud she sat. Hermione immediately moved her head closer and whispered, ‘’I want to tell Dumbledore.’’ 

‘’What?’’ 

‘’I want to tell Dumbledore about Harry’s death.’’ 

‘’Hermione think about it. If you tell Dumbledore, he will have to announce it to the entire school.’’

Hermione nodded, ‘’That’s exactly what I want.’’ 

‘’You will hear about it every day…’’

‘’I want to hear about it every day. Don’t you understand? He was my best friend, his death being a secret is more painful than hearing it everywhere. That way he would at least get acknowledged.’’ 

Ella pressed her hand against her lips to think. She didn’t want Dumbledore to know, she didn’t want anyone to know. She didn’t want to hear others speak about him, about his death. She didn’t want her class to be upset or – act upset, since nobody actually liked him. 

Or worse, she could hear them say that he had deserved to die. 

‘’If everyone knows, we could find out who killed him, Ella!’’ 

Ella thought back about Hermione’s assumptions about Theodore and Draco. ‘’You can’t let others know about Theo or Draco,’’ 

‘’If they did it, I will.’’ 

‘’But if they didn’t, you would just make everyone hate them for nothing.’’ 

‘’I won’t spread my assumptions about they before I know for sure.’’ 

Ella sighed, ‘’Still, Hermione. I don’t think it’s a good idea.’’ 

‘’I am going to tell him. You didn’t have the right to make that decision when you did. You had your little peace and quiet, I want them to know now.’’ Ella let her hand down on the table. Hermione was right, it wasn’t her place to decide. She wasn’t the only one that needed to know, everyone did. It was just hard to actually hear others talk about it since it had been just hers to share for all this time. 

‘’Fine. Do you want me to come with you?’’ 

‘’Yes.’’ 

~

It was finally time for their last lesson. Ella had promised Hermione to come with her to Dumbledore’s office after this class. Now that she was sitting inside of it, she got a bit nervous. Mad-Eye was going to show her video to the entire class, she wasn’t sure if she could walk out after that. 

She had given her USB to him and sat herself down beside Theodore. Theodore had muttered something, but she couldn’t listen. Everyone was sitting in front of her as they were sitting in the back. Hermione was right in front, as was Cho. Pansy and Blaise were a row before them, but on the right. 

Draco was sitting alone like normal, also a row before them and on their left. 

Those were the faces that were going to turn to her as the video was playing. Those were the faces she didn’t want to look at. 

The video finally popped up on the screen and Ella was now visible. She held the camera in front of her as she walked, making it look like a vlog. 

‘’So, for this assignment I didn’t really know what to do and how to do it. I was really struggling but I finally came to the idea of making someone rob for me. It’s probably small and wouldn’t give me a high grade but –‘’ She looked directly at the camera, ‘’Mad-Eye, I’m absolutely fine with a six.’’ 

Ella heard the class laugh around her. She had her arms crossed as she watched the video play. She didn’t laugh along with them; she was already hearing their laugh die out as she remembered what the next scene was going to be. And the third, and the fourth. 

In the video, Ella was now relocating the camera’s position, to hide it from the person that was walking up to her. It was just her and a guy standing a few meters away from it now. He had his hands in his pockets as he walked. It wasn’t yet clear to see who he was, it was dark, and the light of the streetlamp was only showing Ella’s face at that moment. 

The guy moved closer and an inaudible rattle came out of his mouth. He had put both his hands on her arms, and you could see Ella giggle before she swiped her fingers along his upper arm. The light of the streetlamp now lit his face, and everyone was able to acknowledge him. 

Theodore jerked up and his eyes grew bigger, fear. Ella looked over her shoulder as she felt Pansy’s worried eyes burn into her skin. She felt the disapproval from all the way over there but seeing this scene again, reliving it… It made her as distant as the night before. Ella didn’t move a muscle in her face and turned her head back to the screen. 

She didn’t want to see their reaction just yet. Not now that the good part, was yet to come.


	20. A set of guns

Snape had his arms crossed behind his extra straightened back. His right eyebrow was raised as his nose was high up in the air. He had an arrogant look on his face, one which outshined the normal ‘I’m better than all of you’ look that he liked to wear so often while teaching his class. 

The man let his eyes scan over the body in front of him. His pupils were small, he obviously didn’t like the figure he was looking at. If it wasn’t already obvious by the revolted look on his face, he would possibly tell you all the ways he was disgusted by his company, how utterly ridiculous he felt for even standing in the same room as this person. 

Snape normally wasn’t a person to let his card down that easily. He made it quite clear to others that the share of your emotions was a free ticket for those to take advantage of you. No matter what the emotion was. Happiness could easily be turned into sadness when handled rightfully. And sadness is just one station away from the main goal. 

Yet, he would be pleased to inform anyone that asked him about his hatred towards this man. He could easily fill the entire hour by just talking about all his flaws.

Snape’s jaw tightened before he shook his hand out of his sleeve and held it up in the air, a few inches beneath the line of his chin. His hand was shaken by the other man, before Snape pulled it back to himself and shook off the imaginary bacteria.

‘’I see that you’ve recovered nicely.’’ Snape moved his arm behind his back and placed it in the palm of his other hand which was already waiting there. The man in front of him sunk his hands in his pockets and bended his knees forward as he spoke, ‘’I have.’’ 

Lupin narrowed his eyes at him. ‘’I haven’t seen Albus in today, do you perhaps know where he went?’’ 

‘’He’s been out. I expect him to return in the evening.’’ 

Lupin curled his lips up in a smile. ‘’Well. If you see him, tell him that I’d like to have a word before the day ends.’’ Snape nodded and watched Lupin walk away from him. 

Lupin now walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, in search of a room. He greeted some students who crossed his path, to eventually end up at Mad-Eye’s classroom. He looked down at his watch to see that his lesson would end in just a couple of minutes. He could wait, he thought. 

He moved his face to the window next to the door and he could just barely get a glimpse of the screen that hung in front. He recognized the students that were shown on top of it; Ella Black and Adrian Pucey. 

~

Ella had her eyes still on the screen in front of the room. Her video was zoomed in, which she had done herself that night while editing. She wanted everyone to see them clearly, see their actions easily without having to focus their eyes much more than was necessarily. 

Theodore was bouncing his fingers on his desk, causing Ella to move her eyes so once in a while to them. She didn’t want to get distracted by whatever stress moment he was going through right now. She wanted to watch her video along with the others, as if it was also her first time to watch it. 

Adrian had just moved his head in her neck and started planting kisses onto it. 

Ella felt every movement they made in the movie; she was reliving it. Her eyes seemed to get a first glance, but her body recognized it all. Every trail the fingers of his left hand had made along her arm, while his right hand moved further down to squeeze her arse. 

She had her fingers twisted in his hair and let out a soft moan – she remembered faking. He sucked in her skin – which explained the bruise on her neck. She let him; she even tipped her neck more to the side to give him an open space to hide his face in. 

She was numb for a while, as she let him examine her skin. She felt his wet tongue circle between his lips and as his warm breath sticked itself onto the wet spots. She felt shimmers move through her body and the goosebumps that had appeared on her arm – out of merely disgust – were the perfect way to get him in even further.

Ella pulled his hair, getting him off her neck. His hungry eyes lingered over her face before he pressed his lips against hers. His tongue danced against her lips and she opened her mouth slowly. 

The memory of their kiss was something only Ella could feel and see in her mind. Her classmates could only see the outsides of their mouths and the connection between them. They didn’t feel his teeth clutch against hers. They didn’t feel his lips around her tongue before he roughly started to suck on it. 

They felt none of it. The horror, the trauma. 

It was Ella’s to bare. 

Ella on the video was getting more and more into it. She was touching him now, his face, his neck, and eventually his cock. She had her hand onto the front of his trousers, and she remembered how she felt through them how hard he was.

Theodore leaned his head to the side to look at Ella in disbelief. She tilted her chin to look back at him. There was still not a single glance of emotion on her face, while his was filled by it. She moved her eyes beside his face and a blurry sight of Draco now became clearer. He wasn’t looking at her, but she noticed that his hand was shaking again. When he noticed himself, he quickly put it back in his pocket. 

His leg was bouncing up and down and his jaw had tightened. His hand was clearly not the only thing that exposed his feelings. It seemed that he was filled with anger, and this time Ella was very well aware of the reason, which was her. It was clear to her that she had not only made Draco mad, but also Theodore and Pansy. 

She felt Pansy’s eyes burn on the side of her face after she had moved her face back to the screen. She didn’t feel like responding on their judgmental looks yet, especially not as the video had not nearly come to the plot. The best part was only to come, she thought. That was the part she wanted to respond to, that’s the only part she was prepared for to talk about.  
‘’You want to know what really turns me on?’’ Ella squeezed her hand a bit as she spoke. Her voice was almost not recognizable, it could’ve been because she was out of breath, or the loss of emotions had an impact on her physical as well. 

Her eyes had narrowed, and she had pinned her sight on his lips. Her lower lip had lowered what exposed her teeth. Her hand was still massaging his cock and she felt it bounce a couple of times as she did so. 

Adrian, who was barely holding it together, bit his teeth before he asked, ‘’What?’’ it was clear that he was struggling to keep his cool, hold his lust in. It had surprised her though, knowing that he was someone that normally didn’t care about a girl’s approval.

She moved her head into his neck and nibbled on his earlobe before she whispered in his ear. He smirked as she pulled her head back. He nodded and the scene was cut into another. 

Both corners of Ella’s mouth had curled up and her pupils had grown bigger. She had her upper body pushed forward, until her breast couldn’t go further as it touched the desk. This was it. Her favorite moment of the video had finally come. Her moment. 

The camera was focused on Adrian who walked up to her with a necklace in his hand. ‘’Got you a present.’’ He said with a smile. 

It was a cliché, stealing a necklace from a jewelry shop, she knew that. It was obvious, a boy robbing a necklace for a girl. But she didn’t much think about the robbery, since the moment she had send that message to meet with him the other night, all she could think of was this scene.

This moment. 

The part of the video she had been wanting everyone to see. 

A plot she had written, directed, and acted out herself. 

Ella took the necklace out of his palm and held it up before her face. She rotated the chain between her fingers. He did his best; she must give him that. It wasn’t a small necklace; the entire down row was filled with diamonds and they were as big as a grape. 

Her knowledge about necklaces, rings, diamonds, and that kind of stuff was very limited, but she was quite sure that this one was expensive. ‘’Thank you.’’ She looked up at him while he tried to step closer to her. He had thrown his hands on her again, his palm onto her throat. He squeezed it hard, but Ella didn’t moan this time. She seemed very numb to the situation, but he didn’t notice. 

She stood there with a smile on her face, her eyes completely focused out. She watched over his shoulder as he had one hand on her throat, his face in her neck and his other hand slowly moving down from her shoulder to her breast. 

He let his finger trail down between her collarbones before he cupped her breast in his palm. With his index finger, he pulled her black silky shirt down but before her breast was exposed, her hand was around his wrist. Her eyes moved to his and he finally noticed the empty look in them. 

Roughly, she pushed his hand away from her and kicked her foot in his stomach. He didn’t fall, but he groaned and grabbed his stomach with both his hands to reduce the pain.

She moved her other hand down her back pocket and slowly pulled a gun out of it. It was one of the guns Draco had used on their mission to find the envelop.

The very second it was shown on the screen, Ella noticed Draco jerking up and turning his head to her. She didn’t move hers, just her eyes. His face expression was angry, very angry. He was biting the inside of his cheek and his lip curled up while his nose got pushed down. Of course, he recognized his own gun, she would be surprised if he hadn’t. Maybe even a little hurt. 

Ella didn’t give much attention to it and moved her eyes back to the screen. She watched it happen as if she hadn’t done it herself the day before. Her lip curled up as she saw her previous self, hold up the gun and Adrian backing away with his hands held up in the air. 

He was so scared, it filled her with joy. ‘’What are you doing?’’ He asked in horror. His voice cracked and his knees were shaking. She was a bit offended that he hadn’t peep himself, she was hoping for that. It would have made her film so much more fun to watch.

Ella sniffed and pushed the trigger a bit further back, not making the shot just yet. Her mouth opened but words didn’t escape from it yet. She scanned his body and the silence made him ask again, ‘’Ella? What are you doing? Put the gun down.’’ He was clearly hoping that her silence reflected her hesitation. That somehow, she would put her gun down and excuse herself for her behavior. 

Her voice was empty, ‘’I’m erasing my tracks.’’ 

Her finger pushed into the trigger fully and with a bounce back of the gun, the bullet got released and flew through the air, making a hole through Adrian’s forehead. The last thing the class could see was him falling halfway down before the video got cut off. 

The entire class was silent and multiple heads slowly turned backwards, watching her. Ella had her eyes pinned on Mad-Eye. ‘’So.’’ She started. ‘’What about that six?’’ She effortlessly moved her hand under her chin as she watched him shift on his legs.

~

Ella noticed the door of the classroom open and Lupin's head sticked out. A sigh of relief exited her mouth as she could now use him as an excuse to get out of the room without drawing any more attention.

Even though she was prepared for her encounter with the others, the feeling of fleeing the scene seemed to draw her in more than the courage to talk to them and make them understand her previous actions. 

Pretty soon after Mad-Eye had told the class to leave the room, seeing Lupin's head and pushing herself off her chair, she had made a few inches away from her desk before Draco's knuckle pressed against her chest and calmly pushed her backwards.

His eyes focused on hers and they locked the second she looked up from his hand, to his eyes. The grey in his eyes had turned darker and the white around his cornea was filled with rage. Those venomous little eyes of his still seemed to get her weak every time she looked in them. 

He had his arm straight and his wrist was bended down while his knuckles had pressed in her chest. It didn't hurt her, it wasn't rough, but it made her take a few steps back out of passiveness.

"Where is it?" His voice was low and demanding.

Ella's on the other hand, was high and insecure. She tried to get away with the insecurity by letting out a soft chuckle after saying, "Could you be more specific?"

With just a small flick of the wrist, his knuckle now rested against the midline under her chin, pressing against her throat.

"I'd like it back."

"What's wrong with the other one you have?"

"It's a set."

"If you could kindly remove your hand from my throat, I'd gladly give it back to you."

He lowered his hand and moved it effortlessly to the front of his pants, before letting it drown in his pocket. "Get it, now.’’

Ella turned on a cold eye as she fought back the urge to touch her throat on the spot his knuckle had been. "Why the rush?" She asked. Draco moved his eyes over her entire face, scanning it in. As he did so, the words rolled over his lips in the easiest way, "When you're a corpse, I'd be much harder to find."

Draco moved his head closer to her face and hissed in her ear, "And I don't feel like searching."  
The warmth of his breath mixed with the tone of his sentences and the word 'corpse' gave Ella goosebumps.

When he slowly pulled his head away from hers, her eyes followed his movement until he stood back in his original position. "What are you talking about? What do you mean with 'corpse'?"

He tilted his head a bit to the side and the corner of his lip curled up. That second, Theodore pulled Ella's arm and made her look at him. ''Are you out of your fucking mind?'' He yelled.

Pansy moved away from her desk, to them. Saying, ''Please tell me that was all an act!''

''It wasn't.'' Ella responded.

"You killed him?!''

Before she could answer, Theodore was her first. "You're really fucking stupid." The top of his lip was pulled up on one side as she spoke. 

''Why? I did everyone a favour,'' she looked at Pansy, ''He is out of our lives now,'' back to Theodore, ''It's not like you could've done it."

Blaise jumped on the desk behind Ella and whistled as he sat himself straight. – ''I'm glad she killed him.'' Blaise said after his small melody. Ella moved her head over her shoulder and thanked him. Pansy pushed her elbow in Blaise's rib and shushed him with a serious look on her face. As Blaise quietly rubbed the sore spot, she walked herself beside Theodore, facing Ella. ''I don't think you understand what you have done.''

''I know perfectly well what I have done. I removed a horrible person from the almost as horrible world,'' she let her eyes move along Theodore’s face for a while before she rested them on Pansy’s, "He won't be able to hurt anyone anymore."

"Ella..." Pansy crossed her arms, "You just killed an investor’s son and you showed that to the entire class including a teacher."

Blaise laid his hands on Ella's shoulders and his head moved close to her ear. "Just to clarify; that means you'll be dead this afternoon."

A loud cough broke their conversation and made Theodore and Pansy turn. Draco had his eyes still on Ella, but she looked beside him, at Lupin. Lupin had a worried look on his face before he took Ella apart. She followed him to Mad-Eye’s desk and Ella had sat herself on the chair in front of it while he attempted to sit himself down on top with a cup of coffee in his hand. ‘’Do you want anything? I’m still standing now.’’

Ella shook her head, ‘’No, thank you.’’ 

‘’Alright.’’ He sat down and laid his cup on the desk. He moved it an inch away from him before he crossed his hands and locked eyes with Ella. ‘’I actually wanted to talk to you about your uncle’s book.’’ Ella frowned her brows, could he have found it? 

‘’I had no luck in finding it but –‘’ 

He pulled a small key out of his right pocket. ‘’I managed to get my hands on this little thing.’’ 

‘’What is it for?’’ 

‘’That is the key to Albus’ main office.’’ 

Ella shifted her legs over one another and leaned against the back of her chair. She looked down at the key and grabbed it over from him. ‘’Why are you giving me this?’’ she asked. Lupin watched her carefully before he spoke his words, ‘’Your father was good man, Ella. He went through things we’d never hope to go through ourselves.’’ 

‘’He was ordered to kill them, wasn’t he?’’ 

Lupin was surprised by her comment. He didn’t expect her to know, and Ella herself wasn’t even sure of her words. ‘’He was.’’ He confirmed. Ella had thought about it after the dream of her and Dean. The photo, the fight between Sirius and Bellatrix, him pacing around in stress. She only had to put the dots together. Bellatrix was a follower of Tom; her entire family was. It was pretty obvious to figure it out after finding the map and getting that specific memory back in her mind. 

The photo must have been James and Lily Potter. She wasn’t sure of it but, thanks to Lupin’s confirmation, she was now. Bellatrix had told Sirius to kill them on Tom’s orders and Sirius wanted to decline but something made him eventually do it. 

‘’Was that before or after he made the map?’’ 

Lupin now unlocked his arms without moving his eyes away from her. ‘’After.’’

‘’Then why are their names on it?’’ 

‘’Because we had made a pact before that. The idea was already there but the map didn’t exist until after,’’ 

‘’And Regulus had already told them?’’ 

Lupin nodded, ‘’He had left a letter for his brother which he had access too when he inherited all of his belongings after Regulus had passed. He had shared it with the group and written out the map in drafts. That’s also why you need the book.’’ 

That’s why you need the book. He just confirmed that she needed that book and that the made-up language was probably the one she saw scribbled over the wall. 

‘’I saw the video.’’ He then said, his voice a bit softer than before.

‘’I know that I shouldn’t have, sir.’’ 

He sighed and squeezed his skin between his eyebrows. ‘’I also know what is going to happen next, so I’ll be quick about it.’’ 

He let his hands rest on his upper legs and locked eyes with her. ‘’Albus will be gone until the evening, but I’m not quite sure what time that will be, so I suggest you get straight to it. Find the book, pack your things, and leave this school. Promise me that you will do this exactly like I told you to, don’t search for other things in his office.’’ 

Ella nodded. ‘’And last,’’ he pulled a small note out of the pocket on his shirt and gave it to her. ‘’If you ever need me, call me. I wasn’t able to help Sirius, but I am able to help his daughter.’’ 

She pulled the note away from between his fingers and read over the numbers that were written on top of it. ‘’Thank you, sir.’’ 

With multiple thoughts flooding her mind, about the fact that he only wants to fully help her is because she is a probably dead end after this evening, she walked out of the classroom. She wanted to go straight to the office. It would give her time to call Dean on her way there and ask him if he could pick her up and… No. She couldn’t. Her home wasn’t livable yet, and she couldn’t hide at Dean’s home. She would only endanger him and his family. 

She couldn’t ask him for help. 

With the note still in her hand, she walked through the corridors, which suddenly seemed to be whispering to her that she had to leave, now. She couldn’t leave, not yet. She still needed to grab Regulus’ book out of Dumbledore’s office, and pack most of her belongings before he returned. 

At the moment she was just hoping that he would take a bit longer before he decided to come back.

~

It had been a while since Ella had been standing in Dumbledore’s office. It hadn’t changed a bit. His desk was still in the same place, his individual shelfs filled with books was still against the wall, on her left was still a big window with seven large plants in front. 

Even the plants hadn’t changed. Their leaves were still big and as green as before. 

Ella lifted her head as she looked through the office. It would be obvious for the book to lay in one of the shelfs on the wall. She walked up to the wall and turned on the large lamp beside the shelfs. Her eyes moved quickly along them. There were eleven rows sticked on the wall. Every row had around nineteen books on them – she thought by just scanning the rows and not actually counting. 

Her eyes had started scanning at the middle row. She couldn’t read the ones up high or low without putting effort in, so she wanted to make sure that the easy rows didn’t contain the book. She read along the titles on the back of them, but Regulus’ name wasn’t on any. 

She kneeled and started reading the covers on the lower rows. Her hope to even find it faded as she read the last one. Dumbledore had an entire collection of Bathilda Bagshot’s series a History of serial killers. Bathilda had written about the best-known serial killers of Europe. The ones most people even forgot about, were memorized on the papers of her books. 

Ella pushed her hands onto her knees and stood. She tilted her chin up to look at the higher rows. She couldn’t even reach them by standing on her toes. She looked around if there was anything she could stand on. Her eyes rested on the chair in front of Dumbledore’s desk.

It wasn’t the one he normally sat on so a few footprints on the other shouldn’t have to bother him. She walked up to the desk and laid her hands on the handles of the chair. When her fingers touched the wood, she couldn’t stop her eyes from looking up. 

Dumbledore’s office was fully hers at this moment. She had full access to look everywhere, to touch anything. 

But she had to be focused on finding the book. 

It had to be her priority at this moment. 

She had to be quick.

In and out.

She looked back at the chair before she could distract herself any further, raised it off the ground, and walked back to the wall. She pushed the chair close to it and raised her leg to eventually set both her feet on top. 

On the first row were just normal books she didn’t much care about at this point. But the higher she got, the stranger the books had become. 

The covers of the books were completely black. There was no name on any of them and it didn’t seem as if the cover was self-made so she also couldn’t remove the covers to look at the original one. She grabbed the first book on her left and opened it to the first page. There was no name of an author, no publish date, nothing! Not one single information of any sort. 

She scrolled through the first few empty pages before she came across the first written chapter.  
By reading just the first sentence, she was already pulled in. She sat herself down on the chair and moved her eyes along the black letters on the page. The way it was written was beautiful. It had impressed her by just the first sentence. The emotion in those words were already sucking her in. 

She turned the page and read globally through the book. When she had reached the last written page, there was finally a mention of the author underneath the text. It was very small and hidden since the pages after this one were also empty, just like the first few.

See you in the dark.  
\- R. A. Black.

She got it. 

She got it!

Ella looked back up at the other books and they all seemed to be from him. She opened every book, scrolled through all of them and read the titles. But none were titled Heathens. 

This can’t be happening.

Dumbledore has every book but not the one she needed. 

She pressed her palms against her temples and tried to think. She had searched everywhere already. Her entire reason to come back to Hogwarts was to decode the map and help her father but she was even more stuck than when she started. The one thing she needed was nowhere to be found. She couldn’t even ask anyone anymore or look somewhere else. 

She fucked that up for herself when she decided to kill Adrian,

after she had searched through her friend’s wardrobe and stole his gun. After she had invaded his privacy by searching through his drawers, his bed – 

Her head jerked up and her body followed. If she could give herself a pet on the shoulder she would’ve. 

Ella jumped off the chair, lifted it off the ground and put it back in its original spot. She had to go to Draco’s dormitory again. Maybe this time she could just ask him if he wanted to help her, maybe he would. 

She had just put the chair back on its original state when her eyes went up and focused on the bookshelf filled with lucent vials behind the desk. 

She couldn’t ask Draco. 

He wouldn’t help her. 

Especially not after betraying his privacy and trust. 

He had clearly shown his disinterest when he literally smiled at the thought of her lifeless soon to be corpse.

Ella’s eyes lingered on the spot where she had seen Dumbledore take out a vial the first time she stood in this office. She remembered how he told her that every vial was filled with a poison a person had tried to kill him with. The bookshelf was filled with vials which meant that he had a lot of enemies. 

Her eyes then narrowed. She saw the image of that day perfectly clear in her mind. She knew the exact angle he had bended his arm in to reach out the vial. She remembered exactly where he had put it back after showing it to her. 

Ella walked around the desk and stood still in front of the bookshelf. Her eyes didn’t need to scan it entirely, she already had the picture of the place – where Dumbledore had taken the vial from – set in her mind. 

There were ten vials on every shelf but on the one she was looking at where only nine. The middle where the vial was supposed to be standing, was empty. It was clear that there had been a vial filling that place, but that it had been removed. 

Flashes of memories flickered in front of her eyes and the reality was blurred by past moments. 

‘’Every vial contains a poison that one has tried to use against me. I keep them in vials with each name of the person on top as a reminder that nobody can be trusted.’’

"No, not for a while. He said he would wait a couple of hours before visiting Dumbledore. I haven't seen him since." 

"He'll come to you; Harry doesn't break promises."

"Have you heard from Harry?" 

"No, why?"

"I haven't heard from him and he's not replying to any of my texts."

"Maybe he's sick." 

"Maybe."

"Suicide?" 

"Then where is the fucking robe?" 

"Harry wouldn't have killed himself."

"That's what I wanted to point out. There was no robe beside him. Someone killed him."

Ella’s cheeks flamed with anger, her mouth clamped, and her eyes were fixed onto the empty spot in front of her. Her nails dug into her palms and her stomach clenched. Her lips curled with disgust and she stood in front of the shelf for a couple of seconds, with a pierced stare on the same spot. 

It had been him all along and she wasn’t even in shock by it, she was just angry. 

It all fell into place in her mind. Harry was meeting Dumbledore that night. He had to speak with him after a disloyal deed by saving Ella’s live after Dumbledore had ordered him to kill her. 

Maybe if Dumbledore hadn’t been Dumbledore, she wouldn’t think he had done it but after she saw what the man was capable of and how little he actually cared about his students, she did. 

Dumbledore had killed Harry that night and dumped his body in the courtyard for others to find. He had given him that welt to make it seem as though it was a suicide, but he didn’t seem to be smart enough to hang an actual robe. 

Ella felt a bit weird to think that low of his thoughts. A better solution could have been that they had arrived in the middle of the scene. That he just wasn’t done preparing it. That sounded better, she couldn’t underestimate him, especially not with a murder. 

He had used a poison on Harry, she was sure of it. He tried to pull it off as a suicide to remove his tracks. She was so sure he had done it; she didn’t need any more proof. She didn’t want to give him the opportunity to put lies in her mind anymore.

Not that it mattered.

She would be dead too if she didn’t leave fast. 

Which reminded her, she had to go. 

~

Ella was aggressively throwing her clothes, from out of her wardrobe, on her bed. She run around her room in search of any needed belongings she wanted to take with her on the trip. She knew she couldn’t take much so all she had was a small trunk where she had to put everything in. Not that she needed much, she wasn’t a person that needed all she had. 

She had grabbed a few books, her toothbrush, toothpaste, a hairbrush, a small bag with make-up since she didn’t use much of that either, a few elastics, her laptop, and chargers. She looked around if she needed any more. She would fill her trunk with unnecessary belongings if there was any place left after putting her clothes in. 

She kneeled down and pulled clothes out of the pile on her bed. She folded a few trousers and tight jeans and put them on top of the other stuff that was already in. 

When she pulled another sweater out of the pile, she noticed a figure standing in the door opening. She stiffed with her hands still in the air as she looked at Draco Malfoy. He had his arms crossed, his body leaned against the door frame, while staring at her. Ella didn’t feel like greeting him. She knew that he was only here for his gun, he couldn’t care about her leaving. 

With an almost unnoticeable sigh, she stood. She dragged her legs with her through her room and without any comment or noise from his side, she had disappeared in the bathroom. 

When Ella came back out, she had the gun in her hand and walked up to him with her lips pressed tightly together. When he grabbed the gun over, he didn’t seem to be as angry as he was just a few moment ago. 

Draco pushed the gun inside his boxers and pulled his shirt over it. Ella had already turned around and walked back to her trunk, expecting him to leave as soon as he had hidden it. When she looked back at the door opening, she saw him still standing there, watching her. 

She kneeled back down and continued what she was doing before he had come. It was a bit awkward, folding clothes and putting them in her trunk with him watching her every move in silence. She couldn’t think about it though, she had no time to lose. Dumbledore could come back any second and she still had this entire pile to go through – 

A move. 

Ella jerked her head up when she realized that Draco was now standing in front of her. Still, in silence. He squatted down and looked over the inside of her trunk. He moved his hands inside and replaced a few items. 

‘’Now you have more space.’’ He said. His voice was low and quiet, for a second Ella thought that he was scared to talk. His voice was filled with guilt and pain, but he couldn’t. Not Draco Malfoy. She knew he wasn’t a talker, but scared? Never. 

She simply nodded and placed more clothes in the free space that he had just created. She sighed and her mouth opened, ‘’I’m probably in no place to ask but –‘’ she moved her eyes up without moving her head. ‘’The other day I noticed you have a book under your pillow.’’ 

Draco’s jaw tightened but instead of outing his anger, he replaced the new clothes she had just placed in. 

‘’Have you read it?’’ 

Draco shook his head. 

‘’The book has the same cover Regulus used on all his books. I have searched through Dumbledore’s office and I found a lot of copies but not the one I need.’’ She paused, ‘’I thought maybe, yours could be the one.’’ 

Still silenced, Draco reached his hand to his back pocket and pulled his phone out. While he started typing, Ella continued – ‘’Could I take a look?’’ 

‘’Blaise will put it in his trunk.’’ Draco muttered. 

Ella frowned her eyebrows in confusion, ‘’His trunk?’’ 

Draco had just put his phone back in his pocket and a small smile was formed on his face. Just a smile, nothing more. 

When Ella wanted to ask about it again, they both jerked up by the sudden movement in the door opening. Pansy stood there, out of breath. She was in a black fur coat which went down to her calves, black leggings, and black high heels. Her elegant look got Ella out of breath as well even though she had barely moved that day. 

‘’I hope you're all packed, honey. Mad-Eye has just gone into Dumbledore’s office. It’s time to go.’’


	21. Send Hogwarts my regards

She had hoped that everything would play out in a slow motion.

That way she would have still a bit of time to think.

But she didn't.

Ella's eyes moved from Pansy's to Draco's. It would be just one sentence.

One single sentence,

and her quiet leave would be interrupted.

Pansy stepped into the room, the loud taps of her heels on the laminate distracted Ella from her trunk. Pansy leaned forwards and closed it with a fierce swipe – "I hope everything is already in there because we really need to go." – Ella barely got her hands away before they would be squashed by it.

When Pansy had laid her fingers on top of the trunk, Draco had stood and he was now leaning against the door frame – his head sticked out into the corridor, looking both sides before staring in the direction they were supposed to go.

Ella had her trunk in her right hand and followed Pansy who walked past Draco out of the room. Ella moved her head to the left to get just a glimpse of his features before she fully stood outside her room. Pansy walked in front by herself until Draco had closed the door behind him and fastened his pace to keep up with her. His hands were sunk in his pockets. There wasn't an inch of his body that seemed to be stressed by the situation.

He wasn't wearing his usual grey sweats she had gotten so fond about. He was dressed decent. Casual but not comforted by sweats nor sweaters. His black trousers were a bit baggy but not enough to actually hold the title of being baggy. Ella was pretty sure that he was wearing them just to say that he wore actual trousers instead of sweats, but the comfort was seen as the same.

His black belt was loosened in the front, his dusky oversized shirt was tugged inside his trousers and around his neck was the silver necklace with the little cross hanging from it which she remembered from the night of the Yule party. This time, he had another silver cross, hanging from his right ear.

She almost didn't notice it.

When he had shaken his head – as he had sat in front of her – she got a glimpse of the shimmer its material had hold within. She never had seen him wearing earrings before. It didn't really belong in a Draco Malfoy fit, she thought. Not that she hated it on him, this man was able to wear anything and still look hot. It was just, not him. 

For as far as she could actually say that about him.

Draco was still a mystery to her.

Ella dragged her trunk behind her as she scanned over Draco's back. What secrets do you hold, Malfoy?

He then pushed Pansy behind him and turned around the corner. His left hand was hanging beside his body with its palm faced to the girls. Ella now stood beside Pansy who was stiffened behind Draco. ''It would probably be smartest of me to use the forest and get myself a loan car to drive.'' – When he had moved, Pansy moved as well.

"No need. Blaise and Goyle should already be waiting for us.'' Pansy spoke while walking, pulling her phone out of her pocket, and typing onto it. She held it beside her ear once it had shifted to an ongoing call. "We're coming out, now.''

Ella did her best to keep ahead of them, but her trunk was making it difficult for her. At this moment she wished she hadn’t had the need to fill the entire trunk with books. A few tops and trousers should’ve been enough.

"Blaise and Goyle?'' asked Ella.

"Yes. Blaise will drive the first car and Goyle the second. Crabbe's father owns a camper company. He promised to get us a camper to stay in.''

"Us?''

Pansy's mouth opened in a soft smile, exposing her advertising looking white teeth, "Of course.'' Ella swallowed before Draco's lower arm suddenly pressed against her chest. She had a second to look down at it before her sight was blocked by the rest of his body. His hip was near to touched her, but she couldn't seem to step back. She lifted her chin to look beside him,

a tall man stood in front. In both his hands she recognized the Sais she so desperately wanted to have herself. Those weapons called for her each time she saw them. She wanted them, use them, fight with them. In her mind, they had already been carved by her initials. 

The eyes of the man were bulging from their sockets and a cloud of warning was settled over his entire face.

When the man’s Sais got raised, Ella finally seemed to be able to step back as Draco's hip now did touch her. He threw his arms cross wise in front of his face to block the man's arms which tried to dig lower. His left leg bended and Draco was balanced himself on one knee. He looked up at the man from under his brows, his face was lit with bitter triumph. A groan rolled over his lips before he did a final push and got the man off.

He stood, but before he found back his balance, another man had thrown his fist against the side of his head and Draco fell back against the wall. His head bumped onto his shoulder as he accepted the bouncing pain through his head. The man who had hit him, aimed again at Draco’s face but he simply caught his fist in his palm. 

Ella locked her eyes with him for a second before Pansy pulled her by her wrist and pulled her behind the corner they came from. 

''Stop!'' Ella yelled as Pansy tried to pull her back through the corridor. ''He can save himself." Said Pansy. The expression on Ella’s face showed anything but trust which made Pansy continue, ‘’Trust me.’’

Without complaining any further, Ella followed Pansy through the corridor. They were back at Ella’s dormitory and Pansy pushed the door open. She ran in, stopped herself in front of the window and pulled it open. ''Do you think that your trunk would fit?''

''I – I don't know, let me –'' Ella lifted her trunk and attempted to walk to the window until two large hands grabbed her by her shoulders from behind. She got pulled back, lost her balance, and fell on the ground. The trunk flew out of her hands and fell on top of her legs, making it harder for her to stand up.

The back of her head had hit the wall and she groaned in pain as she pushed her hand onto the sore spot. Her eyes closed as to help her reduce the ache, but before she could even take another breath she was raised again. Ella faced a similar man, from the others in the corridor with Draco, in horror. His face was terrifying. The murderous look in his eyes, and his big hands – which were close to her throat – made her forget to move at all. Her throat was dry, and her eyes kept shifting from either side of his face to the other.

''Not so fast.'' – He spoke with long gasps between his words. The way he laid his words were similar to how Snape talked.

Behind him, Pansy itched her head around his figure to get a clear sight of Ella. She noticed her quickly but didn't change her face expression. When Pansy raised her brows at the man, while having her eyes still focused on her, Ella simply lifted her chin up to the side and locked her eyes with the man, "Let me guess; Dumbledore send his regards."

The top of his lip got pulled up and he let go of her. He looked down at her in disgrace, ''Not just that.'' Out of his pocket now appeared a small gun. He lifted it up and pressed it against her forehead.

"Let's return the favour then." Pansy's voice sounded from behind him. She raised her knee and kicked her foot against his right heel. The man turned around while creaking which gave Ella the opportunity to grab the gun out of his hand. With a fast flick, the gun had moved into her palm and she now held it up in front of his face. He simply smiled, put his hands up in the air and raised his brows. His smile was throwing her off, so she didn't realize another man walking up to them.

An elbow was pushed against the front of her shoulder and the gun flew out of her hand. The second man pulled it out of the air and held it up in the same line her eyes were. His finger rolled over the trigger but before the bullet could hit her, Pansy had pushed her out of the way. The bullet flew behind her head and they dropped to the ground.

Pansy was quick to stand back up and pulled a small box from her pocket. With just one click, it opened and in her fingers were now multiple nails placed. With a single swing, she threw the nails towards the second man and they landed into his arm. The nails drilled through the material of his clothing and as he called out the pain, his hand flew open and the gun fell on the ground. Pansy ran towards it, high kicked the man to the ground and grabbed the gun.

She straightened her back, pointed the gun at the first man, shot multiple times in his shoulder and leg and then turned back to the second man who had just dragged his body back up.  
Ella was watching them. She had just pushed herself off the ground and watched Pansy handle the situation in awe. When she looked down at the ground where Pansy’s empty box was laying, she noticed a large shadow coming over it. As she wanted to turn around, she got pulled back with a string across her throat. She gasped for air as a third man had her in his grip.

Her eyes quickly moved over to his hands; she remembered her first spar with Theodore. She wouldn’t be able to pull him over her shoulder as Theodore had but it gave her a similar idea. 

She kicked her foot backwards against his knee and when she felt his grip loosen, she pulled him by his lower arm with both her hands, pulled his body beside her with a swing and when he laid on the ground, she kicked her foot against his throat. His arms were still in her hands and she pulled it up which gave him more pain as his shoulder slowly started to relocate. 

Pansy stepped backwards, closer to Ella, with the gun still raised before her. "Go to the window, now! I'm behind you."

Ella nodded, gave the man another pull on his arm, grabbed her trunk and ran inside her dormitory. She heard Pansy's high murmurs from behind her as she pushed her trunk through the window. When it landed safely, Ella went through as well. When both her feet were on the ground, she looked back through the window to see Pansy close and lock the door. "Hurry! I doubt those were the only ones. We just got lucky."

She jumped through the window and ran around the building to the courtyard with Ella behind her.

When they both entered, their little run changed in an exhausted walk. A relief came over them when they noticed the two cars waiting on the other side. Pansy walked in front. Her dark curls fell effortlessly on her shoulder blades and when she tilted her chin over her shoulder to make sure that Ella was still following her, her eyes got filmed with warmth. Her hips were swaying on an imaginary beat, her confidence was dripping off her little walk as if she always walked on the red carpet.

Ella seemed the total opposite, her steps were off beat, and her body moved desynced. She was exhausted already. She wondered how Pansy managed to look as good as she did after all the trouble they went through.

As they got closer to the cars, she could see the boys standing beside it now.

Ella leaned on her legs effortlessly as she ran over the courtyard. Her feet moved over the grass and stones as if they were made of pillows. The tired expression on her face had changed and her mouth was now formed in smile. Her eyes were filled with tears but tears of joy. She ignored the burning sensation on her eyelids as the salt within stunned her.

There were two cars standing in front of her. The first to caught her eye was a shining black Mercedes Benz. Ella read the name on the back of the car as she was running towards it. AMG E53. By the name alone she already knew that it was Blaise's car. Blaise used to talk about it a lot. This car was his baby, his pride and joy. He used to be so proud, because he had bought it with his own money, – which of course was false since the boy never had worked a day in his life but since he had gotten his own credit card on his eighteenth birthday, he spend it like it was his own.

Ella had shaken her head multiple times in disbelief but thinking back, there was a slight innocence about it.

The second car was simpler. It was a white Citroën C3 with a red roof on top. Ella had a hard time deciding whether Goyle had chosen that car himself or that it belonged to his mother. The thought had probably never crossed his mind since he was standing proudly beside his car. He was talking with Crabbe – his hands were both brought to his hips as he had raised his chest - while he pointed his eyes so once in a while to Blaise who was grinning him down from his own.

Draco and Theodore were standing beside Blaise; Theodore had just lit his cigarette and as he inhaled his first taste, his lighter disappeared back in his pocket and so did his right hand.

He and Blaise had been standing there for a while now. They only waited for the girls to arrive, since Draco had joined them a short time earlier. He was staring at his own reflection in the small side mirror of Blaise's car. His hands were moving through his hair; he started at his hairline and slowly moved his fingers through – all the way over his head to the back. When he had reached his neck with one of his hands, the other entered from the hairline and did the exact same thing.

When he seemed to be satisfied, he straightened his back and turned around to face Ella and Pansy on the other side of the courtyard. By his sudden stare at the girls, Theodore and Blaise turned as well.

The corner of Theodore's mouth curled up when he saw Ella run towards them. Pansy walked behind her, not changing the pace.

But all he could see was Ella.

The relief in her eyes to see them as she run filled him up. He was feeling the exact same; a relief to see her.

He slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket as Ella came closer to them. He wanted to stick his arm out straight, run towards her and pull her close to his chest. He wanted to hold her tight, as tight as he possibly could.

But Theodore being Theodore, just stood there silently and stiffened. His hand was still in his pocket, just his thumb had become visible. He watched her come closer, her smile widened and the twinkle in her eyes now clearly showed him they were reflected from the build up tears.

When she was just an inch away from him, he had his hand out of his pocket fully. A cold breeze of disappointment flashed along his skin and he moved his elbow quickly back before he let his arm hang down along his body.

His head hadn't tilted, his body hadn't flinched, but his eyes rolled to the side.

Ella had thrown her arms around Draco's neck.

She pulled him as close to her as she was physically able to. Her chin rested on his shoulder and her hair flew across her face. Her mouth opened; letting out a small sigh when she felt Draco's body against hers.

Draco blinked.

Ella's arms around his neck tightened and he felt her chest bounce up by every breath she took. Her eyes closed and her head moved, touching hers with his. Draco’s eyes rolled down at her but that was his only movement. She hadn't expected him to hug her back, but it had surprised her that he also hadn't pushed her off. She took in his scent before she whispered, "Thank you."

Draco pulled his head back to make her loose from him. "Don't mention it." He looked down at her eyes and she lifted her hand to his jaw. Her hand was warm against his cold skin and she slowly pushed his head to the side. Draco’s eyes followed and he looked at Pansy now who had just appeared beside them. 

A small trail of dried blood was exposed from under his ear and Ella sighed, "I had no idea he hired others.’’ 

"It was to be expected. Dumbledore never fights his own battles." Said Pansy. Ella removed her hand from Draco’s jaw and as she tilted her head to Pansy, Draco’s tilted back to hers. 

Theodore shifted on his legs as he took another puff of his cigarette. His brows were narrowed, and he had his eyes pointed at the ground. His hand flicked the spend ashes off his cigarette before he exhaled, he said, "Have you gotten rid of them?"

Ella faced him, "Not all."

"Then we should go."

He fast took another puff and threw the left over of his cigarette on the ground. He reached his hand to the doorknob of the passenger-seat, but Pansy was quick to grab it first. "You can sit in the back, darling." Her lips curled in a smile and she pulled the door open. With her empty hand, she swiped her hair over her shoulder and stepped inside. Theodore bit the inside of his cheek as he pushed the door closed beside her. He turned back to Draco and Ella, noticed the trunk on the ground beside them before turning his head to Goyle who had now approached them, "Who is going with me?"

Draco gave him a small glance under his brows before he stepped into Blaise's car. Theodore was quick to grab the trunk off the ground and walk to the back of the car. Blaise let out a chuckle when he heard Theodore yell from over there; "Not me, pal."

Goyle's smile faded and he turned to Ella, "You?"

Ella shifted her legs. The car beside her called for her. Or better said, the people inside of it. The ride would be so one to two hours and she didn't feel like spending that amount of time alone in a car with Crabbe and Goyle.

"I've never drove in a Mercedes before…’’

Blaise chuckled at her. Such wealth but never the pleasure of riding a Mercedes, he thought. "Sorry Goyle, the lady wants to drive with this beauty." He slowly pushed her to the backseats and Goyle stormed back to his car. He yelled at Crabbe to step in before he did himself and drove off.

Ella watched Blaise walk around her before she stepped in. The smell of fresh leather consumed her the second she had opened the door. A bit less elegant as Pansy had, she stepped inside and sat herself in the middle.

The interieur was dark; black leather seats with quite big emerald green stripes around each of them. Around her feet were green lights that lit up the dark inside of the car and on the ceiling were very small white spots, making anyone believe above them was the night sky.

"Do you like it?" Blaise asked.

Ella nodded, "I didn't know your favourite colour was green."

"Because it isn’t. It was either all white leather, black with either red or grey stripes or fully brown. I liked this one the best."

"It’s pretty.’’

Theodore moved as last in the car and closed the door loudly. Blaise murmured a soft lecture before he started his car and drove off. Pansy had turned the radio on and started dancing in her seat while Ella could barely let the words sink in. The situation of that day was still playing freshly in her mind. 

They went through all of that for her because she couldn't just move on knowing that Adrian was still alive. She felt guilty for dragging the others along with her, but she couldn't feel guilty for killing him. Her mind was finally at peace, back to its original state. A huge veil of anxiety and depression had fallen of her shoulders. She was ready to invest her thoughts in something else worthy,

"What is your plan, Ella?" Blaise then asked.

Ella looked up at the mirror in front to see his eyes. "Surrey."

"That's one hell of a ride."

"We're lucky Edinburgh is on the route." Said Pansy.

"Edinburgh? Didn't they live at Newbridge?" Theodore asked. Pansy shook her head, "The Crabbes moved to Edinburgh a few months back."

"Don't you know anything about your friends, Theo?" Blaise chuckled at him from behind his wheel.  
Theodore simply straightened his back as reply.

"Why do we need a camper anyway?" Ella asked. Pansy replied to her, "It's saver if we all drive together. Two cars would only trouble us at some point."

"They didn't have to come in my opinion." Blaise muttered.

Pansy moved her head over her shoulder to look at Draco, "I wasn't the one to invite them." He opened his mouth to respond but she quickly moved her head back. "Oh well. The more the merrier they say." She answered herself.


	22. John McClain

Mr. Crabbe had Draco's hand in his which he overly excited seemed to shake. Ella walked closer to the others after she had inspected the grounds around the building. She had never been to Edinburgh before, but she had heard a few stories here and there.

Her mind wasn't quite feeding into her sightsee desires as she dragged her feet towards the entrance of a big gallery.

It seemed to be flooded by thoughts on anything but, to be exact. 

It wandered through the pictures of the map she had taken.

It wandered on the book which was laying untouched in the trunk of Blaise's car.

And to Draco, who she had hugged so carelessly.

Her eyes started accepting her surroundings. Ella's head was tilted to the left as she walked closer to her friends and the yet unfamiliar man beside them.

The building had windows covering most walls around the gallery, starting from the bottom up to the top. Inside were the campers, by fast notice she could count twenty-two of them. Some were bigger than the others, the colours were mostly neutral and there was a wide choice in design.

Ella's head moved back facing forward as she now stood beside the others. Her mind clicked out of the space it had been in before and she could now hear them talk clearly. Mr. Crabbe was the first to speak, "Sirius Black's daughter. Haven't I ever imagined the day of seeing you in front of my shop."

"It's nice to meet you, sir." Ella spoke effortlessly. She wasn't interested in sharing anything but the necessary information which was required for renting the camper.

If they even had to rent it at all,

she wasn't nearly provided with enough information on how everything was planned out.

She simply stood beside her friends as though she was a decoration. A side piece. Something she was getting quite bored off.

Something she just now seemed to realise more than ever.

It didn't take long before they had picked their camper and ended the deal completely. When Crabbe had brought the camper out, Pansy and Blaise were the first to enter and inspect. The door was swept open and Ella slowly dragged herself through. Her eyes met the furniture which was build into the design. 

On her right was where the driver had his own little area. It was a bit covered from the rest of the camper, having just a small entrance to show the driver from between. Besides was a small fridge, a small build-in table with two build-in chairs which were connected. In front of her, a larger bench with build-in pillows and a few loose on top. 

To her left was the sleep area; build-in closets, a sink, a door which she thought could lead to a little bathroom, and a bed for two.

Ella eyes shot wider when she noticed Blaise letting himself fall on the bed. "Pansy, join me." His voice was low and exhausted. There exited a soft groan between his lips as she spoke while stretching his arms up, underneath his head. 

"Not a chance."

Blaise’s eyes moved to Ella, "El, join me."

She simply rolled her eyes and stepped forward to make place for the others to enter.

Crabbe was to enter last, "And? What do you guys think?"

"I think I'd rather drive my Mercedes, but I can get used to the bed. I don't have that." Blaise chuckled at him. "Don't worry Crabbe, I won't ask you to join." He concluded after the small change in Crabbe's eyes.

"It's perfect." Ella said as she let her hand rest on his shoulder. She was aware that the tens in his jaw and flicker of his eyes meant his insecurity, nothing else even close to relating with Blaise.

Crabbe nodded and closed the door shut behind him. "Then that means we're going?"

Theodore sat himself on the bench and sighed, "Don't you all think we need a better plan first?"

"Which is going to Surrey to get the envelope," Said Pansy.

"The envelope that we can decode with the book I had to bring along?" Blaise asked.

"Yes. It's my uncles, but I haven't seen it yet." Ella stepped forward to Blaise. "Could I see it?" Her head moved over her shoulder to face the others behind her, "I don't want to drive off with a book that I'm not sure off is the one we need."

Blaise moved his head up, facing beside Ella. "Yo, Barbie. Fetch me my bag."

Pansy raised her eyebrow. When there was a short silence and no movement, she opened her mouth, "Oh. I better hope you didn't mean me."

A sigh of annoyance broke between them and Draco stepped in front of Pansy with the book in his hand. He reached out his hand and dropped it in Ella's open palms. Blaise chuckled, "Thank you, Barbie."

"My pleasure." Draco hissed back.

Ella held the book tighter against her chest before she opened it. She already knew where the title was supposed to be, so she quickly scrolled through the pages. As she entered the last chapter, her heart stopped for a moment. She didn't know where to look or what to do if it wasn't the book she needed. She could as well give up if it wasn't.

Her fingers rested on the last page of the chapter. Her thumb slowly moved down the side of the book and stopped at the last written words on it.

Her eyes shot up and she locked sight with Draco. He hugged himself, his hands tight around his upper arms while his head was lazily hanging down to the side. He stared patiently at Ella, his eyes showing through his brows.

Ella's lip curled up before she sighed in relief and said, "It's the one."

Her thumb caressed the words, Heathens, before she closed the book and pushed it against her chest. "Now we can go.’’

~

A while later Ella was sitting at the table with Pansy beside her. The chairs were small but the feeling of Pansy’s warm leg against Ella’s didn’t mind her. She was bowed down over her notebook while she wrote down some letters and words. 

Draco had his hands leaned on the table as he stared over the book, which was laying between them. His left leg was arched a bit forward to steady himself. 

Theodore still sat on the bench, but this time he had Blaise beside him. 

Crabbe was behind the wheel and Goyle was standing in the little space between the driver’s area and the others, leaning against the frame of the entrance.

They had concluded that the only insurance they had was simply Ella's belief. The envelope was their only lead and they had to build on that.

"He even made new letters." Draco suddenly murdered, followed by a sigh.

Ella scribbled down the latest of words he had said out loud before this sentence. "Of course, it wouldn't be as easy. I'll have to read everything and then we can start decoding."

"I'll have a read after you," Draco had his finger pushed against his lower lip as he lifted the page and moved his thumb of his other hand down the words.

"I can't seem to understand why it's seen as such a bad writing." Ella pulled the book an inch closer to her and she scrolled back to the first page. "His first sentence is already intriguing. It's the same with his other books. They drew me in with looking for barely a minute."

Draco moved his head closer to the page and took in the words. "We'll know after we've read it." He then said.

"I'll start then."

Ella grabbed the book and stood. She walked over to the bed and sat herself down crossed-legged. She planted the book on her lap and started reading.

It started soft, unhurried.

Was it trespassing? He wasn't aware.

His mind had long gone wandered off into his own desired reality.

The sun felt warmer on his skin; it's gleams complimented it, looking up at it didn't hurt his eyes. The eyes he had portrayed as baby blue, just like Annie's.

Annie's beautiful eyes.

The eyes he had not gotten himself at birth but which he desired to have desperately. Instead, God had provided him with dark brown eyes. Boring, he thought of them. Not complimenting anything else on his body. Not the freckles on his cheeks and nose, not the red hair strands between his light brown curls that made his skin come out darker as he wanted it to be. His eyes seemed to fade in his skin, he hated that. He wished they stand out, like Annie's had.

Annie's eyes complimented her. Her blonde locks and her pale skin made her eyes dazzle more and more each time he had given it a glance.

No, this wasn't what he desired.

He jerked his eyes away from the sun which suddenly started to burn. Back to reality, his current one. A reality mostly painted grey, sad. A reality in where he was now standing in the garden of Annie's parents.

Was it trespassing? He still hadn't quit made that up.

The grass under his feet grew up his shoes, crawling over his ankles and tingling his skin. He smiled; a soft noise exited his mouth as he did so. Soft laughter sounded beside him, a laughter he had missed. A voice so angelic he immediately knew his desired reality had set place around him again.

He wasn't looking up at the sun this time, he looked at Annie.

Little Annie, his Annie.

I miss you Annie, he muttered.

Ella flipped the page and read the rest of the chapter. The man hated himself. His looks and thoughts especially. His imagination was wide, it reminded her of her favourite book. The authors imagination had been wide in there too, differently yet the same.

Crabbe had already drove them out of Edinburgh and even a few other small cities. Ella wasn't aware of the passing time until an approaching figure got her pulled away from her pages.

"Is it good?" Theodore asked her. He seemed uneasy as he shifted on his legs in front of her. Ella just nodded, there was nothing she could say about it other than that she hadn't yet found a reason why the book was so badly reviewed.

They had made a stop after two hours. Which left another five hours for them to drive.

Ella hadn't gotten out the car to stretch her legs. She didn't feel the need to, but the others did. As she had now positioned herself on her back, she had already started on chapter four.

She was alone in the camper. Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise and Pansy had gone inside the tank station and Theodore was smoking a cigarette outside with Draco.

After everyone returned inside, Ella had made it half through the chapter.

The night had fallen, and the others had started to get tired.

Blaise had laid himself next to Ella already with his face in the pillow. Pansy and Theodore were knocked out on the bench and Goyle's yawn was hearable throughout the entire camper.

They stopped driving and Crabbe peeked his head through. Just then, Ella jerked her eyes up.

"Who's taking over the wheel? I'm tired."

Goyle exaggerated his yawning and Draco eventually took over the wheel. Crabbe and Goyle had thrown themselves on the bed and Ella immediately stood. She couldn't read with those beside her.  
She continued reading on the build in chair beside the little table next to the entrance. She had just gone through chapter five when she heard Draco yawn. She turned her head over her shoulder to get a small glimpse of him behind the wheel.

"If you're tired, you should stop driving."

His jaw tightened, "I'm fine."

Even though she wasn't tired she had never drove a camper before so she couldn't risk driving into the first tree she'd come across. Instead, she decided to sit herself down in the passenger seat.

She didn't look at Draco when she sat, and he didn't look at her.

Ella inhaled before she opened her mouth, "It's about John McClain... At least that's what he calls himself. He had a lover named Annie; last name yet unknown. As I read through the pages, I concluded that she had passed but it hadn't yet made that clear. Her parents hate him, every night he'd wander around their house and they tried to kill him multiple times because of it. He seems to have a wide imagination and he imagines an entire world around him with memories and happy thoughts." Ella moved her thumb over the cover of the book. "He changed himself, entirely to look how he describes beauty in his mind. Until now I've read about his desired reality and memories of him and Annie, her parents and mostly people that just hate him. He had just met a woman who was new in town and I was about read about their encounter.’’

She opened the book and scanned over the page she had yet to read.

"He would have to introduce himself. He wanted to introduce his true self. It seemed that this woman wasn't yet scared off and he didn't want her too. She could be his Annie, could she? Could he ever get over such a love he used to have for his Annie?"

Draco slightly moved his head towards her, giving her a fast glance before he looked back at the road.

"He saw her again. Again, and again, over and over. Every time she got more beautiful, yet she never changed. The woman in front of him had, with just a few seconds between her asking for his name and him thinking about all the possible names he could make up and throw at her, she changed. Not entirely, for most people not even noticeable. But for him, he saw it. He saw every little change in her face." Ella flipped the page, "Oh Annie, why did you stop changing? Why did you stop being my Annie?"

Ella blinked and looked over her shoulder at Draco. His eyes had widened, and he seemed more awake than he did when she had just sat. She hadn't heard him yawn through any of her words. It seemed that reading to him, did help keeping him awake as she intended to.

She laid her eyes back in the paper and continued, "He had to answer her, before she left. Before he was alone again. John McClain, he eventually said."

Ella had read thirteen pages out loud until her throat couldn't handle all the nonstop talking anymore. Draco had slightly laughed when she desperately reached to the small fridge to get herself some water the others had bought at the tank station.

She sipped it fast when she sat back beside him. She was even more out of breath after her sips than she was before.

Another two hours had past and she noticed Draco's eyes close rapidly before he jerked them back open.

Everyone else was asleep but he couldn't let himself drift off as well. He was so stubborn, he had to keep driving.

"You're not going to be any good if you fall asleep while surrounded by Tom's followers, or Dumbledore's."

"I'm fine,"

"I can see your eyes shut, Draco."

Eventually, he had pulled over to an empty parking lot at the nearest tank station, turned the engine off and before Ella realized, he had fallen asleep behind the wheel.

With a small smirk, Ella closed her book and rested it on her lap. She let her head lean against the back of the chair and her head slowly fell on her shoulder.

Her eyes were pinned on Draco and now that he was asleep, she could take in his face peacefully.

She wondered if his stubbornness was something he got from his father. Narcissa didn't seem to share that, not by what Ella had gathered from their first meeting.

What were they like? What was Draco like with them?

Ella's eyes slowly closed until her sight blurred,

what was Draco like at all?

His features faded from her sight until her eyes were too heavy to keep open and her sight was entirely blackened.

Was this who he was? Or could there be more behind his mask?

Then she slowly drifted off too.


	23. Chapter 23

Everyone in the camper had awaken the next morning and Crabbe was back behind the wheel. He had said that he wanted to drive mostly because the camper was his and until he was to tired to, he didn't trust anyone else to drive it.

The last three hours had gone by fast. Ella had just started on the language from the book and as she read, she gave Draco little side notes on the words and the translation she thought they meant. 

Draco scribbled down everything she said just to cross it out again. 

‘’That doesn’t make sense.’’ He barked. 

‘’Why not?’’ 

He pushed the paper he was writing on to her, ‘’If you put this in that sentence it doesn’t add up.’’ 

‘’What else could that possibly mean?’’ 

‘’You tell me, you’ve read it.’’

‘’I’ve read it to you!’’ 

He moved the paper back closer to himself, ‘’Just say the next one.’’ 

When they drove over the border of Surrey, Crabbe gave a small warning. Blaise and Pansy had pulled open their trunks and the few exposed pocket knifes caught Ella's attention. She wondered if there was anything she could use, but the words were kept inside her mind.

She could always ask a gun from Draco, but she didn't yet dare to ask. She hadn't forgotten about his anger after he had figured out that she had taken one without his permission. His borderline mood swings were confusing. One moment he hadn't given a flying fuck about her death and the next he stood in her room and helped her organizing her trunk to eventually go with her on a mission he couldn't provide from.

She had read to him; he had fallen asleep beside her and now she was decoding a language with him while he hissed at her for every failed translation. It wouldn’t surprise her if in the next hour he’d wish her death again. 

Pansy closed her trunk and stood with a little box in her right hand, which probably held another set of nails, and a small pocketknife in her left. Blaise handed her a holder and she accepted it right after she sunk the box in her back pocket. She wringed the holder around her upper arm and slid the knife in. "Any idea where the envelope might be hidden?" Pansy asked when she noticed Ella's eyes on her. Ella shook her head, "I was hoping I would know when I saw it."

"Great." Blaise muttered.

When the car stopped, Theodore was the first to jump out and lit his cigarette. This time Ella got out as well. She had to breathe in some air which she hadn't done since they started driving.

Theodore looked at her as she stretched her arms over her head. He inhaled sharply and exhaled the smoke after holding it in a couple of seconds.

"You want one?"

Ella shook her head.

He nodded and took another hit. Ella stood beside him and leaned against the outside of the camper. "I hope we find it fast." She exclaimed.

Theodore smoked his cigarette beside her in silence. Ella tilted her head and frowned her brows, "Since when did you become so silent? I haven't heard you say two words since we left."

His jaw clinched and he stared down at the ground on which his ashes just had fallen. ‘’Hadn’t had anything important to say." He told her. She wanted to accept his reply, but she didn’t. Yet, she decided to give him the space since he clearly didn't want to talk about it with her. 

She just stood beside him in silence. The wind cooled her body temperature and her lungs filled themself with the fresh oxygen.

"I brought you something," Theodore then said.

He threw his smoked-up cigarette on the ground, disappeared in the camper, and came back a couple of seconds later. In his palm he held up a knife with a longer blade than the usual ones Ella had used. He brushes his finger under his nose as she grabbed it over. "I was thinking, with everything going on you probably wouldn't remember bringing something, so I brought one for you."

He moved his finger over the blade, "It's a longer design so you won't have to be as close to the one your fighting as with a normal blade." He slowly pulled his hand off and put it in his pocket, "I also got you a holder for it."

He then lifted his other hand, the one which was behind his back this entire time and raised the holder. He blinked his eyes and Ella nodded silently. He curled his fingers around her wrist and clicked the holder around her upper arm with his other hand. Ella stared at him as he clicked it stuck and then put her knife in. "Thank you." She whispered with her eyes still locked on the knife.

There was a small crack in his voice, "Don't mention it."

When their little break was over, Crabbe drove them to 4 Privet Drive and parked the camper on the end of the street. Everyone but Crabbe jumped out and walked to the house. He was supposed to stay in for if they had to make a quick exit. 

Some heads were turned over their shoulders as to make sure they weren't followed. Ella walked in front, for a first since a while she walked with confidence. Her hopes were up, and the excitement of finding the envelope made her fear seem nothing more than a small thought in the back of her mind.

They had crossed the entire lane before Ella stood still in front of the house she remembered from the pictures. She was the first to set foot on the driveway and pulled the doorknob soon after.

It didn't open.

She tried again but she already knew it was locked as she did. For a quick second she was hoping that it simply bugged and that it would open the second time she tried. Sadly, their way in seemed a bit harder than she wanted to.

Ella looked over her shoulder to the others when she caught a lady staring at her from out of her window. Pansy had just stepped foot on the driveway as well Ella whispered that they were stared at. Pansy didn't move her head to look. "Can we walk around?" Pansy whispered back. 

Ella moved along the house and tried to open another door of their fence. It was also locked and the only way through it was by climbing over. She sighed and walked back to the others who were still waiting on the street.

"Do something." She said.

"Such as?" Blaise asked.

"Anything. If that woman sees us climbing over the fence of a ghost-house she will call the cops."

Blaise smirked and looked over at Goyle. Ella looked from Blaise to Goyle too, and back to Blaise. Blaise eventually walked closer to him, and Goyle backed up. They stood in front of the woman's garden before Blaise pushed him over the small rail that separated her garden with the road. Blaise started shouting at Goyle and the woman disappeared fast away from the window.

"Idiots! She could as easily call the cops on you now too!"

Blaise put his hand around Goyle's collar and said, "I doubt the police would mind more about two fighting friends over some teenagers invading a home." He looked over his shoulder at Ella, "Go!"

Ella nodded and walked back to the fence beside the driveway. She laid her hands on top and settled her foot on a small pulled out stone in the wall of the house. She pushed herself up and threw her legs over it. After sitting on top for barely two seconds, she jumped off and landed in the garden.  
Pansy, Draco, and Theodore followed while Ella was already pulling at the back door. It didn't budge but she didn't mind breaking a window this time.

She had a decoration stone lifted from the ground and with much force, she broke through the glass. After laying the stone back down, she curled her arm through the little opening and unlocked the door from the inside. The door swept open and she walked in before the others.

"I'll go upstairs," both Ella and Theodore said. Ella turned around to watch his face tighten as he realized he spoke at the same time as she did.

"Okay, let's go." She ran to the hallway and Theodore followed her. There were still spots of dried blood on the walls, but she didn't let herself think about the horror that had happened in this house not so long ago. If she did, she would just feel bad or think about Harry again. So, as she run through, she didn’t let her eyes linger on any detail of the house other than where the envelope could be.

The first door Ella opened seemed to be Harry's old room. It hadn't much stuff inside and most furniture seemed old and used.  
The realization that Harry had slept there struck her fast. It was painful to be in his old room, without him. He had been in her house, with her. He had seen her rooms, the rooms she lived in. But now she was looking at his, without him.

Bloody hell, just a stair ago she promised herself not to let those thoughts of Harry distract her.

A hand landed on her arm and Theodore appeared beside her. "I can look around by myself, if you want."

She shook her head, "I'll manage."

He nodded and lifted his hand back off. Ella inhaled deeply before she walked up to the little nightstand beside his bed. She opened the drawers – her depressed thoughts were pushed back in the corner of her mind – and went through them carelessly. Beside some letters and pens and a dusty old sock, there wasn't much in it. When she stood, she looked at Theodore who was inspecting his wardrobe. His hands were placed against the wood and he softly knocked his knuckle against it to hear any hollow spots.

Ella walked over to Harry's desk. There were a few action figures and a placemat but nothing else. The drawers were empty, and she decided to take up Theodore's idea and knock on the wood as well. Theodore bended down to look under the bed, Ella looked under the desk and chair, but they would stand empty handed.

They went through the other rooms. Dudley's bedroom was a mess. The police had obviously not cleaned anything out. They took a good ten minutes to look through his room before they moved to Vernon's and Petunia's bedroom.

Also, no success.

Theodore inspected the bathroom by himself and Ella looked up at the ceiling in front of it. "There's a door." She spoke silently as if its message was only meant to be heard by her, but Theodore had heard it as well. He muttered inaudible and without commenting, Ella walked back to the bedrooms to look around for anything which she could use to pull the door in the ceiling down with. She was quick to find a metal stick that she could use, walked back under the door, and clicked the stick on the little hanger in it. She pulled it down and a build-in ladder was exposed.

The cracks of oldness had made Theodore walk out of the bathroom and he pulled the ladder down since Ella couldn't reach it.

Ella stepped on the ladder and walked up. It was dark, she couldn't yet see where the ladder leaded her to. Obviously, she knew it was leading her into the attic but what was in it was still a mystery for her. 

When she had her head sticked into the room, she pulled out her phone and clicked on the flash button. A part of the room lighted up and she pushed herself on the floor.

"Is there a lamp?" Theodore asked from down the ladder.

"I'm not sure, I can't see anything." Ella moved her phone along the wall. When she walked further into the room her breath squeaked and Theodore shouted, "What's wrong?"

When she didn't answer, he paced through the hall and looked around for any light switch. He noticed one on the wall beside the stairs and clicked it in. The attic got light up and he lunged to the ladder and climbed up. When he sticked his head in the room, Ella was on the other side. The flash on her phone was still on but it hung unnecessary along her body. Her eyes were pinned on the wall in front of her and she heard Theodore react just as she had when she first saw it.

The wall was covered in different guns, knifes and sticks. They obviously didn't seem bothered by the fact that anyone who went up was able to see it, which made Ella wonder if it was intended. Her eyes moved up and she noticed a string which she pulled down. A second wall fell, covering the weapons. "They were here before Harry killed them. That’s probably why this second wall wasn’t down, I doubt it was simply forgotten." Ella muttered.

"Holy shit." Was all Theodore could get himself to say.

The second wall was pushed back up by Ella and she walked further through the room. She spoke as she walked, "They were more involved than we thought." She let her hands slide over the wall. "This is all preparation for a war."

"A war? Over one dude?"

"Not a real war I suppose, but they couldn't possibly have all of this just for their own use. They stocked the weapons for all the other members, I'm sure of it."

She wondered if Sirius had known.

Or Harry, but she was quick to doubt that.

Theodore had pushed himself fully onto the floor and walked around as well. "We should take some." He bowed down and grabbed a black bag that was thrown on the floor. "They probably wouldn't mind." He let out a soft laughter, but Ella was too caught up in the room to laugh along.

Her eyes had found something else,

Sais.

Her fingers wandered over the lugs where initials were carved in. She read them out loud, "H.P."

"Harry's?"

She nodded.

Harry had his own Sais. No wonder she always seemed to be fascinated by them, she got that from him.

Ella pulled the Sais out of their holder and rotated them in her hands. They felt warm, even though they hadn't been touched in a while. She could feel Harry's previous hands on them, as if she was holding him instead of the Sais. But then again, they might have never touched them. If he wasn’t aware, these could have never been touched by him. Yet, the thought that they were a part of his belongings seemed to warm her. 

A loud scream from Pansy made their heads turn and Theodore was quick to run back to the ladder and look down. "Shit." He cursed.

Ella ran up to him, but he raised his hand to stop her. "No! You go find what you came here for. I'll go down."

Before she could argue him, he already climbed down. When his feet landed on the ground he looked up and locked his eyes with hers. "Hurry."

She nodded, turned back around, pushed the Sais in the bag and started searching around. She couldn't distract herself by the weapons, but she still pulled some out to dumb them in the bag after.

Once she got among a box with bullets she hesitated if she should search through all of them to find the right ones for the weapons or just throw them all in the bag. She decided to only pull the ones out that were meant for shotguns since she hadn't put any of those in the bag. She doubted they were of any good use for them in the future. The rest of the bullets was poured in carelessly.

She then looked through all the closets, drawers and pulled at every string she saw. Most of them were just for the second wall and didn't provide her anything when she pulled. The stress of the downstairs fuss wasn't making the search easier on her mind. Her eyes kept moving to the ladder in panic and distracted her from whatever she was looking at.

Once she found a grey box – the only one that wasn't white like the others – she pulled it out of the closet and lifted the lid. Her hand moved across her mouth as she looked inside of it. There was a picture of young Lily and James Potter on top and with a shaking hand she lifted it. She turned the picture and there was a writing on the back.

Just married!

Ella smiled against her palm and laid the picture beside her on the ground. It was an entire box dedicated to the Potters. She found some old school photos of James, family pictures of Petunia and Lilly, some baby photos of Harry and a note which invited the Dursleys to his fifth birthday.

She laid everything beside her until she found an empty frame. She lifted it out of the box and there was a Phoenix craved into the wood of it. Ella immediately pulled her phone back in front of her, turned off her flash with a sigh, and scrolled through her pictures. She knew it, it meant something.

The Order of the Phoenix.

Petunia was a part of it. This had to be related to the envelope. Ella rotated the frame but there was nothing stuck onto it. She searched fast further through the box but when she emptied it completely there was still no envelope. She stood and looked further in the closet to make sure she wasn’t missing anything. She turned back and let her mind rest before she forced her eyes to scan everything for another Phoenix.

Please please please.

She closed her eyes and rubbed onto her temples,

think.

It couldn't be placed to obvious, but it also had to be found able for any other member. Maybe Harry was related? Or maybe Sirius even.

No that wasn't it. It would be to obvious.

She looked at the ground where she had all the stuff laying around her. She lifted the picture of Lily and James back up and held it in front of her.

Just married! She read again. 

The Potters.

Lily and James Potter.

Lily was Petunia’s sister; it might be related to her alone and not necessarily to James. What was Lily's name again? Before she married him?

Ella looked back at the picture on her phone.

The Order of the Phoenix members:  
\- Lily Evans.

She held the picture pressed under her phone as she started typing with both her hands. The attic was filled with weapons, it was a long shot but if there was any way of Lily's relation to the envelopes location it could also relate to the obvious in the room.

The weapons.

Ella's lip curled up when she found what she was looking for. Warren R. Evans was the designer of the Lever Action Centerfire Rifle. Ella's eyes shot back at the wall. She had the picture of the gun on her phone and now she was just hoping to find an exact replica in the room. Right in front of the ladder was one hanging. It was an old type, mostly build with wood. 

She walked over and lifted it from the holder. Underneath where the gun had hung, was a small Phoenix carved. She laid the gun down on the ground and pulled off the holder. As it had just shifted a bit off the wall, the envelope fell from behind it, in front of her feet. She lifted it up and stared at it for a second before she flipped it double and hid it in behind her bra. It was the best hiding spot she could think of at this moment.

Ella bowed down to grab the bag with weapons and climbed down the ladder. There was still a lot of noise coming from downstairs so before she walked down to see what was going on, she grabbed a gun out of the back, made sure if it was loaded, pushed it in her back pocket, and walked down fast.

Once she entered the downstairs area, she saw Theodore fly through the door of the living room, against the wall of the hall she was standing in. She put her hand against her mouth and her eyes shot up from him to the man that now walked out too. He noticed her and when he turned his head to face her, she recognized him. Antonin Dolohov.


	24. Blades and books

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've put a trigger warning above the last scene because this indicates rape on as well an adult, as a child.

Dolohov smiled widely when he faced Ella. "Our paths are crossed once more." He said.

Ella spoke out of breath, "Remind me to take some side roads next time."

He laughed loudly. "That won't be necessary."

Theodore attempted to stand but Dolohov kicked the side of his boot against his jaw and Theodore didn't move anymore after that. His head hang unconscious on his shoulder and Dolohov stared at him with a smirk, "New boyfriend?" His eyes were now pinned down at Ella. 

"Why?’’ There was a small pause, ‘’Jealous?"

His eyes narrowed. "Maybe," He stepped over Theodore's legs and cracked his neck as he walked towards Ella. Her eyes lingered on Theodore's unconscious body, the urge to run up to him and wake him up was barely holdable. He had been hurt so many times and it ached her that she might've been responsible almost every time.

Ella moved the bag behind her back but didn't move any other parts of her body. She couldn't step forward, to Theodore, and she also couldn't step back. The wall behind her would block her and there was not enough time to unlock the door and run out. Also, he'd probably just shoot her in the back of her head if she ran. She couldn’t think of anything else to do and just be there, nailed to the ground. 

His hand suddenly touched her cheek and he brushed his thumb over her lips, stopping underneath her chin. He pushed it up and forced her to look him in the eyes. His head moved dangerously close to hers, but still hadn't she moved an inch. Ella stood her ground as she let him touch her and scan over her face.

"You have a soft skin."

"I've noticed."

He laughed again, suddenly she seemed very amusing to him. His eyes moved down to her breasts and a hot wave came over her. He sighed disappointed before he spoke, "Girls all seem to think the same.’’ Without a warning, he had his hand placed on her breast and his thumb moved lower, clicking under her bra. "What's this?" Dolohov showed her a crooked smile and slowly started to move her bra further up. 

When Ella felt the envelope shift, she raised her leg to kick him off, but instead he grabbed it and pushed her backwards. She stumbled against the wall and groaned in pain.

Stupid, stupid. She knew kicking high could give her a disadvantage. She knew you shouldn't be kicking above someone's knee. Sirius had taught her that, why was she so foolish to forget?

Dolohov pulled her by her leg and pulled them under his body. He was squatted down above her legs and his hand moved into the direction of her breast again. She tried to push him off, but he quickly locked her arms above her head. He clicked his tongue and moved his hand underneath her shirt. 

A sudden voice stiffened him, "You're not playing a fun game of tag without me now, are you?" Said Draco. Dolohov looked over his shoulder and Draco had one of his men dragged along his body. He had his hand grabbed onto the men's jacket and he effortlessly threw the man in front of him. Pansy entered from behind him and swept her hair over her shoulders.

Dolohov simply stood. He couldn't seem to stop laughing after.

"It's over for you. You're alone now." Said Pansy.

"Am I?"

He tilted his head over his shoulder and his eyes pointed at the door behind him. "Is that your car?" was all he asked. Ella slowly stood and looked along with Draco and Pansy through the small window in the door. Their camper stood in front of the house. Blaise, Goyle and Crabbe were held by some other men and beside those were a few others patiently waiting for any signal from Dolohov. 

Dolohov barked at Draco, "You will have your game of tag."

Draco curled his lips in a smirk. He didn't seem at all intimidated by Dolohov, nor his men. He sunk his hands in his front pockets and told Pansy to grab Theodore off the ground. She obeyed and bowed down next to Theodore. She moved his head to the sides and he slowly started to regain consciousness and open his eyes. He drunkenly looked at her and she started to lift him up.

"You know, I've been thinking about you." Dolohov raised a gun and started walking slowly to Draco. Draco simply tilted his head and waited patiently for Dolohov to approach him. "Draco Malfoy,’’ His voice cracked, ‘’The one that got away.’’ His face was tightened he moved his fingers through his hair before he continued to speak. ‘’I've spoken to your mother; she was so worried about you." 

Dolohov's steps were slow, gentle. "She couldn't understand why her only son would be such a disappointment to the family."

"Couldn't she?"

"Of course, I was very well interested in comforting her. She's a lovely woman."

Draco smiled, "I'm aware."

Ella slowly moved to the door and with her hands behind her back she twisted the lock. Before she turned it, Draco pulled one hand out of his pocket and wiped his thumb under his nose. His mouth opened and he said, "Are we going to talk about my mom or – play?"

Dolohov chuckled at him and waved his gun in the air. "You are really all business and no fun, are you?"

"I've heard that before."

"Well – If you insist.’’ 

Ella twisted the lock and a loud click echoed through the room. Dolohov was quick to turn around, his gun raised towards her, and before either one of them could say anything – he had shot just an inch away from her.

Ella was mildly shaking as her life had just flashed before her eyes. Her chest was bouncing up while she breathed heavily through her nose, trying not to scream or cry.

It had given Draco the perfect opportunity to enter his fists on the back of Dolohov's head. He groaned and Draco pushed him against the wall. He kept hitting him in the face with his knuckles and Dolohov raised his gun at Draco's head. Draco simply kicked his elbow against Dolohov's arm and the gun fell out of his hand. Draco kicked his boot against the gun, and it rolled to Ella.

She watched them fight each other before she stared at the gun. She could grab it and shoot Dolohov. She could help Draco out, by killing him.

She bowed down, grabbed the gun, and held it up at the two. Her hands started shaking, they were to close to one another, she could easily hit Draco instead since her aim wasn't as precisely as she needed it to be.

Draco was now pushed against the wall and Dolohov had his arm against his throat. Dolohov seemed to get more and more confident now that he was Draco under his grip. Draco’s jaw tightened and before Dolohov could raise his hand to Draco’s face, Draco slammed his forehead against Dolohov’s. He backed up, holding his hand against the spot he was hit. He seemed to struggle with his balance and Draco hit his fist against Dolohov's temple.

They both fell on the ground and Draco struggled to stand up fast. He had one knee on the ground and his other was pulled up. His elbow rested on his knee and he breathed slowly. He was dizzy, Ella could see that. 

She looked from Draco to Dolohov. Draco had managed to push Dolohov away from him, which gave Ella a clear shot. Her gun was raised at Dolohov's head, but she hesitated. Her finger petted the trigger, but something was holding her back. Wasn't she able to? Why wasn't she? She had murdered Adrian without a second thought. Why was she hesitating now?

She looked at Draco, did his life mean enough to her to take away someone else’s? Her eyes moved back to Dolohov. He started to regain his strength and she had to move fast. Her eyes moved lower, to his legs.

"Run!" Ella yelled at Draco. She then shot multiple times at Dolohov's legs. The first few flew along him, until she had a few that hit his legs. Her aiming had her full attention and she hadn't noticed the door open behind her. An elbow got pushed against her shoulder and she dropped the gun. Her face followed and she made a huge smack on the cold floor. The man who pushed her, then stabbed a knife between her shoulder blades. Ella screamed and started crying. Her sight blurred and all she could feel was the blade cutting through her flesh.

She dragged her body forward and reached out her hand to the gun in front of her, but the man stepped his heavy boot onto her fingers. She cried even louder, more painful.

Draco's eyes shot open and he lifted both his guns from out of his holder. He jumped off the ground and shot the man in the head without hesitation. Ella noticed him raising the other gun at the door, shooting multiple times through. She couldn't look, she was simply stuck to the ground. It felt as if the knife was pushed completely through, she couldn't move.

Draco bowed over her and gave her a short warning before he quickly pulled it out. Ella sobbed and the room started to spin. She felt like she was going to throw up.

Draco's eyes were blackened, and he turned to Dolohov. Dolohov gave him a quick smirk. "You're not going to shoot me." He barked.

Draco pushed his guns back in his holders, "Not today."

Dolohov's face expression seemed annoyed, he sat in his own little pool of blood. His legs were bleeding rapidly but he didn't care to secure the wound any time soon.

Ella's sight was blurred but she felt Draco's arms around her. He lifted her slowly up, but the movement wasn't doing her any good. She closed her eyes and tried not to throw up. Her heard was spinning, she felt like fainting, or throwing up – Or both. 

Draco dragged her through the door and Ella saw the lifeless bodies on the ground. Draco had shot all of them with a single bullet each. She wanted to think about it, let herself figure out why he had not touched any of his guns when Dolohov stood before him, but pulled them out effortlessly to kill the others. 

But she couldn’t think. The pain was overwhelming her, she couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe. Her entire back was aching and every movement she made felt like another knife slicing through. 

Pansy had already put Theodore in the camper and Crabbe and Goyle were waiting in the drivers pit for Ella and Draco to enter as well. Crabbe yelled that they had to hurry, he wanted to drive off as fast as he could. There might’ve been more men to encounter them and he wasn’t interested in another fight. 

Blaise had his hands on Theodore’s jaw and moved it up and down to get a clear look at it.

As Draco dragged Ella inside, she fell through her knees and backed up against the mini fridge. "Drive!" Pansy yelled at Crabbe and as soon as she swept the door closed. Crabbe drove off.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Pansy shouted as she ran through the camper to bring Blaise and Draco a wet cloth. Blaise handed the cloth over to Theodore and he pressed it against the back of his head. "This is going to hurt; I've been through it." Blaise said. He pointed out his encounter with Snape. Theodore groaned and Blaise pushed his jaw back in place. Theodore almost bit his own tongue off and cursed at him. Blaise frowned his brows, "What? I've warned you."

Theodore rolled his eyes and sat himself up. He moved Blaise out of his sight and looked at Draco and Ella. "What happened?"

"Stab wound." Draco muttered.

He pressed the wet cloth through the hole of Ella's shirt and Ella bit her lip. He had his relaxing hand placed on her shoulder as his other debt on the wound. She let his touch consume her and her pain faded a bit.

It was not his intention, but his touch comforted her. She was still dizzy, and she still felt like throwing up, but her mind lingered on the warmth that entered her shoulder. Her heartbeat started to slow, and she could feel her head getting back its grip on reality.

Draco pressed the cloth hard on the wound until it stopped bleeding. "You'll live." He said. Ella was now fully back to reality and nodded. She wiped away her dried tears and Draco started to clean the inside of the wound. He rinsed it and removed the dirt that had gotten in.

Pansy had walked up to them with a small EHBO kit and Draco pulled out an antibiotic cream. He smeared it over the wound, while Pansy cut of a piece of mesh from the roll. She handed it to Draco, and he smeared some disinfectant on it. Ella watched him hand back the bottle to Pansy. It was a red sticky liquid and when Draco pressed it against her wound, she bit her lip to hold in the groans and sobs she felt rushing back.

Pansy handed him a bandage and a roll of tape which he used to secure the mesh. When he had pressed the tape down on her skin, he leaned back and sighed in relief.

"I'll have to look at it again tomorrow to make sure it doesn't get infected." He said. Ella nodded and Pansy helped her stand up. Straightening her back hurt her, so her posture was very unflattering.

The next day Draco had taken another look at it and Ella had taken a shower before he had put a fresh mesh on top.

Crabbe had drove them back out of Surrey, but they hadn't had a real location they headed to. He intended to just drive away for if any of those men would find them again. He circled around the outer cities of London and they had a few stops along the way to think through their options, but without the decode they were truly stuck on the road.

Draco had opened the envelop and read through but as Ella was already afraid for, it was written in the language Regulus had fabled.

Most of the following days Draco had been decoding by himself. Ella couldn't sit, and not at all stand so she laid in the bed for most of the time. She had muttered a few times that she wanted to help but Draco hadn't given her any attention. He just sat by himself at the table.

Sometimes Pansy and Theodore helped him, but they were quick to give up. Their thoughts only made Draco more annoyed since it wasn’t close to any of his. 

Every half a day Ella got someone else next to her on the bed. They had decided to all sleep in terms. It would be to dangerous if they all slept at the same time, especially now that they had the envelope. It was quite certain that Tom's men were already searching for them. Since Dolohov had found them in Surrey without any effort, they were smart enough to realize their disadvantage. 

These men were smart, they could easily track them down if they hadn’t already. They were afraid that if they stayed at one place for too long, they could get attacked again. Since Ella was in no potion to fight, they didn’t have a choice but to drive around the Southern of England. 

Blaise had tried to spoon Ella multiple times but once she started sobbing from the pain, he stopped. The others were quit easily to sleep with. She was already used to Theodore, even though he left a huge empty space between them. Ella commented a few times that if he rolled further away from her, he might fall off, but he never listened.

Crabbe and Goyle were probably the easiest to sleep with. They just laid down and drifted off in seconds.

Pansy was the one to talk to her before she fell asleep. She sometimes took over the care of Ella's wound when Draco was too busy working on the envelope. Pansy cleaned it and went to sleep after. Her hands were softer on her skin. Her small and delicate fingers felt like a massage as they touched Ella.

Draco had never slept beside her. He mostly drifted off on the small chair at the table. It hurt to even look at him sleep like that, how he managed it; nobody knew. His back must be sore, Ella thought, but he wouldn’t listen to any reasoning. 

After a week had passed, Ella was finally able to walk normally. Her back still hurt but it was bearable. She hated laying in bed all the time, she felt useless.

She was now helping Draco with the language. His notes were filled with words and crossed out letters. He had already a quarter of an alphabet figured out and it seemed to be reliable.  
Ella moved the book closer to her and scrolled through the pages, "Have you read the entire book?"

Draco nodded.

"And? Why does everyone hate it?"

Draco scratched his arm and laid his pen on the table. "You should read it yourself."

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because I can't figure this bloody language out and maybe you could if you’ve read it.’’ There was a small change in the tone of his voice as he spoke. Like he was holding something back. Ella simply nodded and started on the last few chapters of the book. 

Another two days had passed, and Ella sat outside on a bench close to the parking lot. The camper was a few meters away from them and the others were inside the tank station, getting themselves breakfast. Theodore sat in front of her with a cigarette in his hands. He was quietly scrolling on his phone until Ella jerked up and pushed the book on the table.

"I – ‘’

She felt as if she was going to get a heart attack.

Theodore slowly put his phone down and asked what was going on.

"This is disgusting!" She yelled.

Theodore simply raised a brow. Ella sat back down and looked at him with a serious face expression. "He- he." She couldn't find the words. She felt sick, she wanted to throw up and she hadn't even finished the book yet. She pushed the book over the table even further and put her hand in front of her mouth.

"Are you going to tell me what you've read or not?" Theodore asked.

Ella looked at him as if he had asked her to kill him, the others and then herself. She didn't want to speak those words out loud, but she could see why she had to after her burst out. Her fingers shook as she took the book back to her. "I – He – Ehm," she coughed. "It's about a man who was obsessed with a woman for most of his life. Until now I thought that he was simply in love with her. She's called Annie and he used to walk around her house but – But..." She inhaled. "It was his house. Those people tried to kill him, and he mentioned them as Annie's parents but – But,"

"But they were his parents. And Annie was his sister."

Ella looked to the side and Draco had approached them. In his hands he held three simple sandwiches. "You'll have to continue reading."

"I can't."

"You must. The last chapter is what I need you to read."

\----------------------------------------------------  
TW !!  
\----------------------------------------------------  
Ella inhaled and grabbed the book even closer. Theodore shifted his eyes between them, "So, he was in love with his sister?"

"He was obsessed with her. Even before she was born." Draco stated.

Ella scrolled through the last chapter. She wasn't fully reading all the sentences until the one that shocked her even more. "Oh my god."

Theodore seemed to get annoyed by her commentary without getting a full explanation, but Draco continued for her, ‘’He spoke about a connection that he felt towards his sister that couldn’t be stopped. He called it true love, like the ones you normally read about in books. While his mother was pregnant, he had raped her several time while Annie was in the womb. He said that their connection was too real, and he couldn't wait any longer to feel her." Said Draco.

"Because she was close to labour, she almost got a miscarriage from it and –" Ella sighed. "And Annie was born with the Down Syndrome. He continued to rape her until she was at the age of eleven. She got her period early and their mother made her go to the gynecologist for a basic checkup. When – When they found out about what their son has done to their daughter, they kicked him out."

Ella’s lip shook, "She couldn't say anything..."

Draco then placed himself next to Ella on the bench and laid the sandwiches on the table. He pushed one to Theodore and the other one to Ella. "They met again when they were older. Everyone knew what he had done and everyone hated him for it but since Annie never truly realized what had happened to her, and she had forgotten what he looked like, she let him back in her live."

"What do you mean forgotten?" Theodore asked.

"They had sent her away. To protect her. When their mother had died, she came back to town for the funeral. They were around their thirties when they came across one another again." Ella said.

Draco pointed at the pages, "Read further."

Ella nodded and scanned through the pages. She opened her sandwich as she read through them until she came across the last. There was a silence between the three until she suddenly started to cry. She sobbed and pressed her hand against her mouth. Her sandwich rolled over the table and her entire body started to shake, and she looked at Draco in horror. He had his lips pressed together and pushed the book to Theodore since he concluded that Ella couldn’t tell him herself.

He read the page and when he finished it, he looked at Ella with the same horror in his eyes. "It's a Black."

Ella couldn't stop crying and Theodore grabbed her hand. He squeezed it and simply let her cry all her feelings out. Regulus had written this book about his own family. Someone in Ella's family had simply raped his mother while she was pregnant and raped his baby sister for eleven whole years. She had left him for a while, just to come back and get pregnant by him. She wasn’t aware that he was her brother, not after the fake name he had given her. John McClain. 

It was a true based story he had written.

Now she knew why he had gotten such bad reviews. She understood the disgust from everyone once they had read it. The book seemed magical in the beginning. It was written so well, he seemed sweet and loving towards Annie. He seemed pure. A man with issues and a depressed mind but that was all. 

He had created an entire world with his mind to get him away from the sad truth. Ella felt bad for him, she ached when she read about the disgusting comments the towners had spit on him. She wanted to warm him, hold him tight as she didn’t believe he deserved such hatred. Not until his mother died, not until the funeral and until Annie showed up. Not until he truly said she could be his new Annie, just to end up being the same person. 

She believed he deserved love, happiness, until she read about all the horrors, he had put Annie through. Before she read that he had made her fall in love with him, even though he knew who she was and just played her the entire time.

Not until she had gotten pregnant, just for him to feel the same attracting to her child. He had told her eventually who he was. That his name was not John McClain, but that he was a Black. Just like her. 

She never expected it to be this disgusting, and not at all: To be real. To be a story grabbed from her family history and placed onto pages.


	25. Dirty tissues

"I've noticed something." Ella said to Draco. She walked through the camper with the book open in her hands. She had allowed herself the previous day to feel bad about the plot, but today she needed to be back to business and help Draco with decoding the envelope.

Draco had his head over his paper and slightly tilted his head to look at her. His elbows were leaning on the table and his fingers were crossed, with his chin leaning on top. 

"I've come across this word a lot and now that it's mentioned in the envelope, I might know what it means." She sat herself beside him and showed him the word that was similar with the one on the envelope. "It means ‘Little’. He said it a lot when he mentioned Annie and now that she was eleven, it could either be ‘Baby’ or like I’ve said,’’ she raised her hand, ‘’‘Little’. I doubt it's ‘Baby’ because that wouldn't make any sense."

Draco nodded and wrote it down. There was a silent between them since neither one knew what to say next. Ella shifted her legs nervously, this was the only clue she had, she couldn't provide any more information. It was hard, trying to figure out the translation of an entire language without any help.

Draco’s mouth opened suddenly, "How are you feeling?" 

"I'm holding up."

"You had to read it for yourself, I couldn't just tell you.’’ His face was still pinned on the paper as he laid his pen down. 

"I know, I don't blame you."

He crossed his hands back in the same position they had been before and said, "I wasn't assuming you did."

Ella smiled softly. They studied the pages for the entire day and gave up late in the evening.

It had been two weeks since they had left Hogwarts. 

Since it had been a week of just driving around going nowhere and since their last visit in Surrey. They had decided to hide in hotels around London. Everyone was tired of the lack of privacy and the mini space they had to share with each other. It was understandable, Ella and Draco had been busy nonstop with the envelope, but the others dragged themselves through each day with nothing but boredom.

When it was a good day, they used their free time to train themselves. But most days were shitty: Cold and pouring rain. 

In the following week they had seen up to four different hotels which they stayed in for a short while each.

Ella shared her rooms with Pansy and Draco stopped by every time to go through the book with them. Pansy tried to help but she just got Draco to hiss his annoyance her. It had been more days than was ever expected before he lost his cool and started to argue with her. 

"Fine! If you think you're any better alone then I'll just go." Pansy yelled.

Draco didn't move his head up from the papers in his hands, "Bye."

"Fuck you." She quickly moved out of the room and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Ella was leaned against the wall on the other side of the room as she watched them argue and Pansy eventually leave. "She was just trying to help."

"She is not, she's only making it harder for me to think."

Draco was sitting on the edge of the bed with multiple papers around him. He had searched through known languages again, even though they both knew it wasn't an existing one.

"We've been at it for weeks; we could use any help we can get."

"Not if it's blocking my thinking."

"Still, you could've been nicer about it."

He looked up and locked eyes with Ella. His jaw tightened and he put the papers on his lap, "I want this fucking thing done, Black. Like you said, we've been at it for weeks and if everyone keeps interfering with stupid ideas that I can't use then I'd rather they just fuck off."

"Those are your friends, Draco. They've been wandering around for weeks because they can't do anything. Think about that."

He sighed, "If you are going to block my thinking as well, you can fuck off too."

"Seriously? I've been helping you everyday!"

"And where has that gotten us? Because we are still nowhere. Your help is as ineffective as the others."

"I've figured more out than you have."

Draco stood and aggressively pushed the papers on the bed. "I've been at it everyday since we left off. While you were laying in bed for an entire week, I've been working on it without taking a single break. I have made over a hundred suggestions and what have you done? Figured out one word?"

Ella mouth hang open. Her lower lip was shaking, and she didn't really know if that was the boiling anger inside of her or that she held herself off from crying. "I've been literally stabbed."

"That's your mistake for not being alert enough."

Her hand turned into a fist, but she was quick to relax it again. She held up her palm, not breaking their eye contact. "Give me the book."

"You can grab it yourself."

Ella bit the inside of her cheek and walked over to him. He didn't move as she stood beside him and bowed over the edge of the bed to grab the book. ‘’It wasn’t because I wasn’t alert enough.’’ She said. 

Her head moved over her shoulder to look at Draco’s side profile. His entire face had loosened and set in place. As if a mask was put on and his anger hid behind it. He seemed, emotionless. 

She straightened her back and pressed the book against her chest. ‘’It was to save your life.’’ 

He tilted his head to her, ‘’And I’m saving yours by decoding this envelope, am I not?’’ 

‘’Saving someone isn’t an obligation, Draco. If that’s how you feel I suggest you just stop.’’ 

‘’I haven’t mentioned any obligation.’’

Ella’s eyes fell down from his face, ‘’You didn’t have to.’’ 

Without giving him another glance, she walked out of the room. Instead of shutting the door with a hard slam, like Pansy had, she just left it wide open.

Ella walked through the halls of the hotel alone. She raised her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts. She wanted to see Dean, to hear his voice.

Once she had found an empty lobby, she sat herself down at a table in the corner. She put her phone in front of her and the video chat with Dean started to ring. She waited patiently until she saw his face. Her mouth curled up in a smile fast and she put in her earphones. She put up the volume and Dean's voice sounded through her ears. She hadn't realized how much she had missed his voice.  
"How are you?" Dean asked. His brows were frowned, and he seemed worried.

"I'm alive, that's a thing."

"Where are you now?"

"Somewhere near London. I'm not quite sure what the city is called. But we won't stay long, we'll probably move today or tomorrow morning."

"You look exhausted, are you sleeping well? Eating? Do you drink enough water?"

Ella lit up from the inside. The warmth Dean gave off by asking those simple questions meant the world to her. She hadn't realized how those simple things could be missed, she never had to. "Yes, Dean. It's just... A lot."

They spoke for a while about her trip and about the envelope. She told him about the book and that it was about her family. She told him about what had happened in Surrey and she immediately included that she was fine and well taken care off.

She mentioned Draco and his blow off at her and Pansy today.

"He's probably just exhausted. You've been searching for weeks, as you said. And all you've figured out is the word ‘Little’ if that's even correct."

"I know. It's so head breaking to just be given this which we can't even seem to decode."

"Isn't there anything on the map that could help?"

Ella shook her head. "Nothing. It's the envelope that leads us to the next clue."

"Didn't you once say that there were scribbles? On the wall? Have you figured those out, yet?"

Ella shook her head again, "They are in the same language as the envelope."

Dean nodded. "Try the wall. Maybe that's easier to decode."

"I will try."

In the evening Ella sat with the others in their hotel room. Draco had locked himself up in Ella and Pansy's room, and he clearly didn't want to get bothered.

Blaise had pulled out some cards and Pansy had bought some bottles of Martini from the bar. She had set some empty glasses on the desk beside the bed and started pouring everyone a drink. She laid out a piece of lemon in each one of them and handed the glasses around.

Theodore almost pushed the glass out of her hand when he leaned back with his hands pressed against his temples. He had just lost the round against Blaise and Blaise smirked widely as he grabbed the cards from the bed. He shook them in both his hands before he laid them down again. Ella took a sip of her drink as she watched him place the cards. She pulled them eventually up with her spare hand and smirked at Theodore since she could already tell that he was going to lose again. 

When everyone had gotten tired, Ella and Pansy walked back to their room. Ella knocked heavily on the door while she pushed the handle down. The door was still locked.

Pansy knocked on the door as well, but Draco didn't open. She sighed annoyed, "I'll ask downstairs for another key."

She walked off and Ella sat herself down against the wall. Her head was spinning from the alcohol, her body was tiring. 

She unlocked her phone and decided to scroll through the photos of the map. If Dean was right, these scribbles could be the first step of decoding the envelope. Maybe whatever stood here could help them to find out what was written on it. 

She zoomed in on the scribbles and opened her book. She didn't have Draco's notes about the words he already figured out, but she remembered a few. There were six words scribbled down. Two of them she was quick to figure you. You and Him. The rest was still unclear. You - - Him - - -. It was clear that the ‘You’ was intended on anyone that tried to decode the map, which in this case meant Ella. Him, could be Tom.

She flipped the page of her book and the door of her room opened. She turned her head to the side and Draco stumbled out. He looked down at her and frowned his brows.

Ella pushed herself up. She opened her mouth to say something but the alcohol in her system consumed her too much to speak. She just walked past him and disappeared into the room without saying a word. She send a quick message to Pansy that the door was open and when she pushed her phone back in her pocket, she noticed a nice put pile of papers on the bed.

She walked over to them and the paper on top was filled with an entire page of the book. Draco had memorized one of the pages, since Ella had taken the book with her.

Her hands lifted the paper and she read through. It was the page that mentioned her family, and John's real name. Draco had probably read that page over and over again since all the words were perfectly memorized from the words in the book. The words that indicated the language had a stripe underneath. She turned the page around and he had written the translations of them.

She saw the words she had just thought of, ‘You’ and ‘Him’. She must be right about those then, she thought. Another word caught her attention. She turned the page again and the word on front was she same as the one that was scribbled on the wall. It meant ‘Address’. In the book he was talking about Annie's new address, the one she had gotten after she moved away.

Ella smiled; he had an entire page figured out. It was obvious to say that his outburst was needed. He had gotten his rest and that gave him enough space in his mind to translate.

She put the paper back and moved the entire pile off the bed, to the desk. She'd tell him tomorrow when she was sobered up.

After a quick shower, she dressed herself in her pyjama's and went to bed. Pansy had come in while she showered and they both fell asleep as soon as their bodies touched the mattress.

The next day they drove off again. Ella had told Draco about the words, but he hadn't really responded to her.

Blaise had come with the idea that Ella could join their training since it was a beautiful day out. Most of them had already trained a lot on Hogwarts, but Ella could still use all the help she could get. Besides her long days of brain cracking, she wasn’t expected to join them since her back wasn’t fully healed yet. The first few days she only watched, she focused mostly on her hand movements with as well a knife as a gun. While everyone was outside, Draco mostly kept himself inside the camper. He had isolated himself while he worked on the book. 

After another week, Ella stood beside Pansy on the grass they used as their training area. Beside was a huge parking lot, mostly filled with trucks and some foreign cars. Draco hadn’t checked her wound since his outburst which made Ella think that it was now okay for her to train. 

She watched the boys. She wanted to join them, fight among them.

Crabbe was already sweating, and Blaise had Goyle in a headlock which he had to get free from. Theodore was looking at them from the side with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.  
Ella was rotating Harry's Sais in her hands. They were heavy, Pansy had told her that she had to be one with her Sais before she started stabbing all around.

It seemed impossible to be one with her weapons, their weight was all she could feel when she raised her arm.  
She circled the Sais in front of her chest and swinged them in larger half circles across her body. She did this multiple times, she had to get used to them and even though she seemed silly, it was helping her.

She had already gotten used to the weight of a knife and a small gun. She had used the exact same technique on the Sais as she had with the knife. 

Most of the days she trained on a tree. She moved around it and swept her Sais closely to make several cuts in its timber. Ella became more confident when she was able to work with her Sais. Not just in cutting the air or a tree, but her fighting improved as well.

In front of her was Pansy now standing, since she had already managed to get Theodore and Blaise on the ground in the past, she wanted to see if she could manage Pansy as well. Pansy had her hands in front of her and Ella run up to her. Pansy was quick to grab her by her wrists and pull her along, just to throw her back away.

"Never attack first." She said.

"Noted."

"In this case I will, but you should never."

Pansy jumped up to Ella and bowed down when Ella tried to grab her wrists as well. Pansy turned to the side and pushed her shoulder up against Ella's body. Ella fell on the ground and groaned when her back hit the grass. The wound was bouncing but she decided to ignore it.

Ella stood back up and raised her fists to Pansy's head. Pansy dodged by pushing her lower arms against her fists. Ella tried to move them through any open spots but got dodged by every try.

Eventually, Ella’s wrist were locked by Pansy and she pushed her against the tree. Ella squeaked when she felt the timber scratch against her skin. Pansy moved her head close to Ella’s and she felt her warm breath touch her cheek. ‘’Do we kiss now?’’ Pansy asked playfully. 

Ella pushed her off and raised her hand as a sign that she wanted to stop. Pansy sighed and threw a strand of hair over her shoulder.

That night her back hurt more than it had the entire week. She had gotten outside to cool off since her body temperature was rising. 

She had just stepped back in the camper and aggressively pulled off her jacket. Why was it so hot in here? The others were all on the bed chatting and Draco was being his cold and lonely self on the chair at the table. 

Ella walked to the mini fridge and leaned over to get a bottle of water. When she bowed down, her head started to spin, and the entire room was blurry. She grabbed her forehead with her right hand and pushed her other against the fridge. She missed and fell forward with her head against its metal. 

The loud clap made everyone's head turn and Crabbe, who had just walked to the driver’s pit, helped her stand back up. Her legs were pudding and her head bounced drunkenly on her shoulders. She was simply, disorientated. 

The sudden touch of Pansy's cold hands on her face awakened her a bit. Pansy yelled to Draco, but Ella couldn’t see him. She knew he was standing behind her once she heard him curse loudly. Crabbe's hands, which held her balanced, then were replaced by Draco's. "Everyone but Pansy get out." He muttered at the others who were silently staring at them.

His hand was placed on Ella's shirt which was soaked in fresh blood. He pulled the shirt off her skin and as it was sticked to it by the blood. He tilted his head at Crabbe, Goyle, Theodore and Blaise who were still watching them.

"I said get out!"

The boys finally walked out, and Pansy stepped backwards when Draco started to pull Ella's shirt up to her shoulders. Now that Pansy's hands were not holding Ella's head in place, her head fell forward and her eyes slowly closed.

"Shit." She heard Draco mutter to himself.

Ella felt her arms raising but she was certain that she hadn't done that herself. She stared at Pansy's face for a while until her sight was blackened for a few seconds and returned. She felt Pansy push her down and Ella puddled back on her knees. She felt exhausted, her entire body felt numb and there was no energy left to move.

She eventually looked down and saw that she was not wearing her shirt anymore. She was too numb to even care about it, she could barely realize what was happening to her. She just wanted to close her eyes and sleep.

Draco pressed against her wound as he made Pansy bring him several items. Every time Pansy wasn't walking through the camper, she had her eyes laid on Ella's cheeks to help her stay conscious. Draco moved fast, he had tissues pressed on her wound with one hand as he cleaned the outside with the other. He threw the used tissues on the ground beside him and dept a fresh one on her skin as he did so. He poured some stinging liquid on her skin; Ella wasn't sure what it was. She only knew that it stung her. Was it alcohol? Why would he pour alcohol on her back?

Pansy bowed down and Ella stared at her face. She smiled, "Pretty." She whispered at Pansy sight. Pansy brushed her palm softly on Ella's cheek but as soon Ella's eyes started to close, she grabbed her jaw and moved her head to wake her back up.

Ella started to get hot again, even though she had barely any clothes on. Her breathing started to get more rapidly, and Pansy looked in shock at Draco. ‘’Her body is going in shock.’’ Said Draco. 

Ella didn’t know what that meant. 

Her focus was mostly on her breathing. It hurt her. Her lungs tried to fill itself with oxygen, but it felt as all that came in was toxin. They squeezed and the ache made Ella want to hold in her breath, but she couldn’t. Ever inhale was crooked, and her sobs made it even harder for her to stop.

The world around her seemed to detach. Her ears seemed to fail her; nothing came through anymore. She knew there was talking, she could still realize it but not hear. She heard Draco mutter something, 

was it to her? Why was he talking to her?   
No, it wasn’t to her, it was to Pansy. 

Where was Pansy? Did she leave? 

Ella couldn’t see. 

Her sight was blurred. She started to panic, why was her sight blurred? 

Her head felt heavy. She moved it around effortlessly, Pansy? Where is Pansy? She was here, wasn’t she? 

Draco’s touch then seemed to fade off her skin. Where was he? He was behind her, she knew that. He was still behind her, he touched her, she realized everything. But why couldn’t she feel it? 

Her throat started to squeeze itself now too. Her body was failing her, and she didn’t understand. She – she. 

She didn’t feel anything. Her sight was black, but she didn’t see it. Her ears were filled with noise, but she didn’t hear it. She was there, wasn’t she not? 

An inhale, that was the first she heard again. 

Her sight filling with colors again, but it was still a blur. 

Another inhale. 

She felt Draco’s hands return on her back. She felt Pansy’s hands back on her cheeks. Another inhale, and an exhale. 

She felt Pansy’s lips against hers. Pansy breathed in air and puffed it out in Ella's mouth. She did it several times until Ella's breathing was back to normal. Pansy then put the water bottle against Ella's lips and Ella took some sips. She felt the cold liquid flow down her throat and her body cooled down. She inhaled deeply and moved her finger over her lips. She stared at Pansy when the realization that she had just kissed her struck her. ‘’Looks like I got that kiss anyway.’’ Pansy chuckled. An irritating sigh from Draco made her stop laughing. 

Draco's fingers on Ella’s back were now getting her attention and she felt all the movement. Pansy pulled a pack of pills from out of her EHBO kit and gave one to Ella.

"Eat this, it contains a lot of iron."

Ella took over the pill, put it on the end of her tongue and swallowed it with some water. She felt Draco press a bandage on her back and she turned around to look at him. She still felt tired, her energy level hadn't gone up yet, but she was rid of the dizziness and panic. She looked down at his hands which were covered in her blood. "You're really fucking stupid, you know that?" He eventually said.

"It's my fault, I was too rough on her." Pansy exclaimed.

"It's all of yours fault. She shouldn't have been sparring at all. Were you really that naïf to think that a stab wound like that would heal that fast?"

"No, but-"

"The blade had gone fully through, Pansy. Stop acting like a stupid brat and use your brain for once."

Pansy pulled one of the used tissues off the ground and held it in front of her. Ella shifted her eyes to the tissue, there was greenish push smeared onto it.

"Look at this Draco! It was fucking infected. You were the one that was taking care of its healing."

"I'm not her fucking doctor."

"You are the only one that knows how to manage wounds like this, you should've known better. Maybe if you didn't act like such an asshole and hadn't isolated yourself you could've prevented this."

Ella opened her mouth, but Pansy continued before she could manage to get some words out, "You don't get to yell at me and call me stupid after you had locked yourself up inside this entire week. If you thought I was stupid, you should've come out and tell Ella to stop yourself."

"Fuck you."

When Ella felt her energy go up a little, she stood which caught both Pansy and Draco off guard. "Where are you going?" Pansy asked.

"Bed." Ella said, her voice low and her body dragged along with her.


End file.
